Chains
by AshesAndInk
Summary: A stranger in a strange land who is trying to remember. A former hero who is trying to forget. And a Powerful curse that hurts everyone around them. Post- Twilight Princess, rated T for violence
1. Stranger

She woke with a start, and the first thing she saw was the sky. Those messy blue streaks that shone through the clouds. She squinted her russet eyes and rolled over. There was earth beneath her hands, wet and brown, pierced with grass.

The girl tried to stand, but a searing pain in her back stopped her. She cried out in agony, her voice hoarse. Wounds on her face and arms broke open, and blood trickled down her face. She coughed into the ferns and they speckled with drops of scarlet. Her vision darkened around the edges, and she scowled.

She wasn't going to let it end like this.

Pushing herself to her feet, she limped shakily towards the sun. It gradually rose until it was out of her eyes. She coughed again, this time into her hand. It, too, came out warm, red and sticky. She didn't wonder how she got in this state. She didn't wonder if she would ever find a refuge of sorts.

She just tried to focus on putting one shattered foot in front of the other.

His eyes blinked open involuntarily when the sun began to stream from the skylight. His mouth opened in a large yawn, and he stretched his arms above his head. He tipped off balance and fell off the bed, landing on his back on the rickety wooden floor.

His face was inches away from a twenty-foot drop to the main floor of his tree-house. The boy pushed himself up and staggered back. He really should get a rail or something.

He began to climb down the ladder, still half-asleep, when a shrill voice startled him and caused him to lose his footing.

"Link!" the voice of a small boy sounded from just outside his door, and he landed on his back again with a dull _thump_.

"Link, get up!"

The teen rolled over and pushed himself to his feet. He walked out the door and paused to see who was calling him. Looking down from his thirty-foot perch, he saw Talo and Malo, two brothers in the village that were always begging Link to do something for them. Link climbed down the ladder until he reached the ground.

"Link, you promised you'd show us your sword today!" Talo, the older brother, exclaimed excitedly. He was maybe half Link's height with scruffy brown hair and a knack for getting into trouble. His younger brother, who was four years old—half Talo's age—nodded sagely. Link sighed.

"The blacksmith says he's done with it!" Talo spoke loudly, as he usually did, "Now, go get it!"

Links rolled his eyes and began to trudge towards the village. It was only a five-minute's walk away, and it was very rural. He always sighed in pleasure at the view he got whenever he came up the tree-covered rise and peered down on the hamlet, and today was no different.

Ordon village, the only one in Ordona Province, was small and rustic. All of the buildings were far apart and made of wood. There was a long, gently curving dirt road that split off to go towards the large lake on the right. Great, mossy stones rose from the lake, and a calm river flowed through the village to greet the pond. An enormous waterwheel was on the delta between the river and lake, and that was where a chore-obsesses woman called Pergie, and her husband, Jaggle—who was the village smith—lived. There were only maybe five buildings, the biggest being the Mayor's, which was just past the fork in the main road. The main road ended in a wooden gate that led to a huge meadow, Ordon Ranch, where goats grazed. Link was the goatherd, and the man he worked for was a big, burly man called Fado that treated him like a son. The whole province was surrounded by huge mountains, and Ordon Village was in the middle of a deep valley.

"Hurry up, Link!" Talo shoved him from behind, and he stumbled down the hill. Gradually regaining his footing, Link settled for a steady trot towards the waterwheel. He ran over the two small bridges and weaved through the pumpkins in the patch just to the left of the second one.

"Link!" Jaggle exclaimed, "Just in time! Your sword's done, and I'm tying to put together another little something for you!" He laughed heartily. He was quite a large man, but he was mostly muscle, not fat, which came from being a smith and carpenter.

Link smiled and nodded before giving him a questioning look.

"It's in the house," the ironsmith answered, and gestured toward the door of the waterwheel.

Link nodded once and walked inside. It was a cozy, homey structure with cobblestone walls and dirt floors. The rafters and wooden support beams were showing, and the floor was strewn with sacks of flour and grain. There was a stove and counter, a pantry, and a furnace all set against the walls, and a rickety wooden ladder led to the loft where the family slept.

"Hi, Link," a soft shy voice from the teen's right, and he felt a small tug on his sleeve. Link looked down to see Colin, the son of a man called Rusl. He was a small boy, about Talo's age, with light blonde hair, pale skin, and a slight figure, and he could often be found in the waterwheel with Talo and Malo. He looked up at his role model with large, drooping blue eyes, an gave a small smile. Link smiled back. Colin was his favorite of the village boys. Talo might try to seem tough, and Malo might not get into much trouble, but Link knew that, hidden somewhere in Colin's soul was a secret courage that maybe even he didn't know about yet.

"Your sword's over here," he walked slowly to a large pile of heavy flour bags, and struggled to move one. After watching the boy push with all his might to no avail, Link walked over and lifted it like it was nothing, tossing it to the side. Colin looked on admiringly.

"Mr. Jaggle hid it here so no one would steal it," he panted, still sweating slightly from trying to push the sack. Link gingerly picked up his sleek iron broadsword, admiring its edge and turning it to reflect the light.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Colin sighed, "Jaggle makes the best swords in Hyrule." Link immediately nodded. "Did he tell you he was putting together a surprise?" the small boy asked. Link nodded an affirmative.

"He won't let anyone see it until he's done, not even Pergie." Colin smiled a bit, "It must be pretty special." Link hesitated a little before agreeing again. Last time Talo and Malo's father had tried to make something "special", it had ended up exploding. And now he was giving something to Link?

"Link!" Talo's voice shrieked at him from outside, "Link, are you done?"

The boy sighed, pushing his shaggy blonde hair out of his eyes, and turned to leave. Colin followed.

"Wow!" Exclaimed the rambunctious eight-year-old, "It's so cool! What is it's name?"

Link squinted at the blade for a moment before shrugging.

"What?" Talo hissed, frustrated, "every good sword needs a name!"

Link was saved from having to answer by the call of a young girl.

"Wow!"

A girl only maybe a few yeas older than Talo ran up to the group of boys, "Link, that's so cool!"

"Go away, Beth," Talo sneered, "that's already been said. Plus, This is men's talk, not girls'."

Link rolled his eyes and started to sheathe his sword when a smoother voice floated towards him.

"It was pretty nice, Link."

Ilia, Mayor Bo's daughter was walking up to him. Link smiled softly, a slight pink tinge blossoming in his cheeks. He shrugged modestly.

"Ooh! Ooh, Link!" Talo jumped up and down excitedly, "show us some sword moves!" Link blinked and tilted his head slightly to one side.

"Okay…" Talo thought for a bit, "start with… the stabby move!"

Link stood and sighed before jabbing at a log nearby.

"Wow!" Beth gasped, "now do the swirly one!"

Link spun and demolished the wooden plank. Beth promptly swooned. Ilia laughed softly and smiled, her deep sapphire eyes gazing into Link's sky blue ones.

The sudden scream of a villager interrupted.

"Help!" the voice cried out, distant and faded. "Help!" It began to get louder. Link turned away to face the direction it was coming from. A tall, muscular man—Fado, it became clear as he drew closer—was sprinting down the road, something draped across his arms.

"Help!" He cried again, "where's the healer?" Link darted over to see the problem.

"What is it, Fado?" Pergie stepped out of the waterwheel home, a dust rag in her hand.

"A girl!" he panted, giving the body he was carrying to Jaggle. "I found her sprawled on the ground just off the edge of town, near the spring! Is she alive?"

Pergie pushed two fingers to the girl's neck. Almost immediately, the girl grabbed her hand in a white-knuckled, viselike grip. Her breathing and expression didn't change, and her eyes remained closed. Her bright auburn hair was messy and blown back, and her clothes were scratched and torn. There were scars and bruises all over her body, and a strange, but faint, geometric tattoo started on her left hand, crawled up her arm, and ended on the end of her long, pointed left ear.

Who was this girl?

"Jaggle!" Pergie yelped, and he pried the girl's finger's from his wife's arm. She backed away, pale as snow, and ushered the children inside.

"Fado," she looked to the man, "get Uli. She'll be able to help this girl."

"But Uli—she's nursing!" the goat tender exclaimed, "Rusl would kill me if I brought this girl to his house. And the stranger—"

"—is in need of more help than I can offer." Pergie lowered her head. "Uli is the best healer in the village. Unless you want to take the girl all the way to Kakariko Village…?"

Fado shook his head. "She'd be dead by then. I'll take her to Uli."

Pergie nodded. "Colin, go to your mother with Fado. Help her tend to the girl." The boy nodded, sensing the seriousness of the situation.

Link looked at the woman curiously.

"Link," she smiled, "the best you can do right now is get on with you life and try to ignore this." Link gave a desperate glance at the dying girl.

"I know," Pergie placed her hands on his shoulders and turned him towards the ranch, "but there's nothing you can do." She gave him a little shove, and he stumbled off to work. He glanced despairingly in the direction of the girl as Fado carried her to Uli's little cottage, Colin following close behind. Beth ran off to tell Sera, her mother, who ran the village shop, and Ilia was dashing off to her father, the mayor.

Link sighed. There was nothing he could do but wait.


	2. Welcome

She woke suddenly to splitting headache and a sense that something was very wrong.

She tried to sit up, but something held her down.

"No, darling," a gentle voice sounded from somewhere above her, "not just yet."

She realized that she couldn't see. She began to breathe harder, faster, and she struggled against the gentle but strong hands. She was weak, she realized, but from what? What had happened?

"No," the voice said, this time more strict, "You haven't healed enough. There's a bandage over your eyes, and your neck wounds have hardly healed."

She fell still, sighing in defeat.

Maybe.

After she felt the hands relax, she jumped up and ripped off the bandage. When she located the door, she dashed outside, hearing the sounds of high-pitched wailing behind her.

The sun hissed in her eyes, and she cried out as she was blinded. Stumbling to one side, she tried to focus.

"Rusl!" the voice cried from behind her, and she turned to see a young woman pointing toward her, a young baby girl balanced on her hip. The scratched-up stranger began to run, splashing through a small river, running anywhere to get away. People began to step outside to see what the commotion was about. She knew she didn't have much time before she was surrounded.

The girl tried to run to the hill on the left, but a figure was already dashing towards her from that way.

She ran to the right, towards the forest, with all her might.

But she was still weak.

Strong arms wrapped around her shoulders and picked her off the ground. She kicked and punched, but the captor carried her back to the gathering crowd, dodging her flailing limbs like they were simply annoying flies.

She finally managed to elbow her captor in the face, and he yelped out in pain and dropped her. She lay sprawled on the ground and leapt to her feet when she saw she was surrounded. She snarled, her one abnormally long canine teeth peeking out of her mouth, and she reached for a weapon she felt should be at her side, but there was nothing. A dozen startled faces were staring at her, and she backed up. She ran into someone and whirled around to see a tall, blonde boy with bright blue eyes and a bleeding nose.

"Thanks, Link," the woman from before panted, joining the crowd, "she must've woken up from the medicine I gave her."

"Where am I?" the girl demanded, her eyes darting from one face to another, "what am I doing here?" her voice was strong and clear, with a slight growl of an accent, a commanding voice.

"You are in Ordon Village," a rather large, fat man spoke up, "and you were found in the forest, almost dead."

She nodded slightly to herself, relaxing, if only a little. "And who are you?"

"I'm the mayor, my young lass," he said proudly. "Mayor Bo. And who, pray tell, are you?"

She stumbled back as if physically punched. Who _was_ she?

"I… I don't know." She whispered. Silence.

"Well," huffed one woman indignantly, "that just won't do. We'll have to give you an Ordon name, just until you remember," she added with a wink.

The girl looked around her. The young man had silently moved back to the rear of the crowd, and everyone else was too busy staring at her to notice. There was something in that boy that made her stare. An unyielding curiosity, something brave… something different.

"How about Illina!" one small girl piped up excitedly. The injured girl screwed up her face in revulsion. The child looked slightly hurt.

"Or Sara," a young woman smiled. The girl in the center of attention frowned.

"Patricia!" A man exclaimed.

"Felicia!" someone else shouted. Soon the girl was surrounded by strange people shouting strange names without meaning. She began to hyperventilate again.

"Chain." One voice, low and smooth, rang out above the others. Everyone stopped their yelling and stared at the blonde boy.

"What about Chain?" he repeated. They stared at him for a while before nodding.

"Okay, Link." the mayor spoke slowly, if uncertainly. That certainly wasn't an Ordon name.

"Well, Chain," he turned to her, smiling brightly. "Welcome to Ordon Village."

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Yeah, this one's short, sorry about that, but it was a better ending place than "Or Sara", you know?**

 **(hehe puts random vine video names into** **fanfic)**


	3. Play

The stranger was bedridden for another week, and, even then, Uli was exceedingly reluctant to let her be active.

"You could re-open your wounds!" she'd exclaimed worriedly, "Or hurt yourself again!"

Chain had only shrugged it off, stepping callously out of the small, cozy cottage and into the harsh, bright world outside. She squinted, hissing slightly in the sun. She still wasn't used to being out, though she didn't know why.

 _Probably because I've been inside so long_ , she thought to herself, passing it off and making her way through the earthen streets.

But… what now?

Sure, she was strong enough to walk, but not strong enough to fight. Not yet, at least. What _had_ happened to her, anyways? Why was she here?

The outlandish foreigner shook her head rapidly, clearing it of those particular thoughts she didn't exactly want to dwell on, as well as sending sharp pangs slicing through her brain.

Chain squeezed her eyes shut, clutching her head with her teeth clenched, waiting for those strange white spots swimming through her vision to fade. When she opened her eyes, she was surrounded by children.

She yelped slightly, stumbling backwards a bit.

"Hey, you," one stepped up, a short boy with a heavily freckled face and disheveled chocolate hair. "What are you doing?"

Coming from anybody else, it would have been a simple, polite question—but this boy was not anybody else. From him, it was harsh and abrasive, a command that spoke volumes. Chain narrowed her amber eyes, and if looks could kill, that kid would've been dead by now.

"What Talo _means_ is," a slightly older girl rolled her large blue eyes and smoothed her caramel coloured hair, " 'why are you out?'"

"Yeah!" somehow the young boy, Talo, managed to keep his "threatening" demeanor as he agreed with the older girl.

"If any of _us_ had tried to get out when Uli didn't want us to," a slight, trembling voice sounded from behind the girl, and she whirled around to face a small, blonde child, "we wouldn't be able to sit down for a _week_."

Inwardly, the girl was smirking wryly. But on the outside, her expression was neutral, and she said nothing.

"Hey!" Talo piped up, suddenly cheerful and bouncy, though no less demanding, "let's go play!"

A shorter, rounder child nodded vigorously, chasing after Talo and the girl.

"That sounds fun!" the small blonde boy smiled softly, taking the red-haired teen's long, thin hand in his and dragging her along. She didn't fight back—she didn't have enough strength to _run_ , much less struggle.

They ran down the right hand street from Uli's house, the one that Chain had tried to escape on. It led out of the sun, into the cool, refreshing forest. She sighed in relief. This was much better.

The golden light of the sun was muted here, falling through cracks in the leaves and putting its golden touch on the emerald foliage below. The dust added to those earthy tones that Chain loved so much more than the harsh, bright light of the open space.

She was jolted out of her thoughts as the little blonde boy tripped to a stop in a small clearing that was overshadowed by trees. Around one edge, there were piles of chopped wood and several targets and training dummies that were randomly studded with arrows. And just to their right, there was a two-story tree house, high up off the ground and almost blending into the tree itself.

"Look!" Talo's voice caught the teen's attention, and her head snapped in his direction. He was climbing onto the wood pile and attacking one of the mannequins. "We'll play battle!"

"I like this game," the fair-haired youth let go of the girl's hand and left with Malo to join Talo in mauling the dummy.

"It's easy!" Malo shouted excitedly as they stepped back to let her try, "just hit the bad guys!"

Chain glanced at the model uncertainly. How did she fight? She knew that she could… but how did she do it?

She put one booted foot in front, the other slightly back, and they were both spread apart. So far, this felt right… but what now?

Tentatively, the stranger put both of her hands up, feeling that should trigger something. She concentrated hard on fighting, trying to remember how she had fought. She must've fought sometime before, right?

She groaned aloud, squeezing her eyes shut as a sudden pain flared though her brain.

"Chain?" a voice called, pulling her out of the groggy darkness she had been trapped in. "Chain, sweetie, are you all right?"

The bright orange haired girl groaned, blinking her eyes open and squinting as they adjusted to the warm interior of Uli's house. There was Uli herself, standing right above her, hovering like a worried little hummingbird. Chain shrugged.

"Then _what were you doing out?"_ she yelled, trying to sound ferocious, but failing as the relief blurted through in her words.

The stranger shrugged again, a smirk playing at her lips.

"But, really, Chain, you _mustn't_ run around anymore, not for at _least_ another week. Then you _might_ just be strong enough to go out and play with the younger children."

The foreigner sighed, but nodded reluctantly. How could she refuse?


	4. Resent

"Link. Link!"

The blonde youth snapped out of his daze to see a goat running straight towards him. Letting out a slight yelp of surprise, he managed to steer Epona, his trusty horse, out of the way just in time.

She let out an indignant whinny, as if to say, _how could you? You can do better, moron._

He glanced at her apologetically, ruffling her mane behind the ears, just the way she liked it.

"What's with you, Link?" Fado, his superior, trotted over to him, panting slightly from running around all day without a horse, "You haven't been focusing very well lately."

The teenager shrugged, looking down at his booted foot, which was dangling from Epona's side. She had gone outside a few days ago, he had heard, but she had ended up passing out because she was still weak… was she okay?

"And this is the ranch," a distant voice called out loudly, the distinctive voice of Talo. "It's where we keep goats and… stuff. Grass. And stuff."

Link's head shot up to stare at the small group that was coming through the rickety wooden gateway. There was Talo and Malo, Beth, and… that unfamiliar, tall figure with the pale skin and long, bright orange hair that fell town to her feet. It was definitely her.

Fado paused a bit, taking a good look at Link, a slow smile forming across his face.

"Oh… I see…" He wiggled his eyebrows at the boy. The young goatherd reeled Epona back a bit, blushing furiously, a look that clearly signified accusation in his indignant blue eyes. Why in _Hyrule_ would he think _that_?

"I know, I know…" Fado sighed, rubbing his temple, "you're no fun." He looked up again, smirking slightly.

"You know," he spoke casually, "you can go talk to her."

 _Really?_ Link's eyes spoke clearly and he immediately perked up.

"Oh, _sure…_ " Fado rolled his eyes slightly, "but _after_ you've herd the goats."

The young boy immediately snapped to attention and steered Epona around towards the nearest goat, leading it into the nearby barn as fast as he could. Fado laughed softly to himself.

"Well," he chuckled, sauntering back towards the fence, "that's _one_ way to do it."

Chain watched the young man from afar, leaning on the old, rotting wooden fence that surrounded the meadow. He had shaggy golden hair and gentle blue eyes.

It had to be him.

Who else could it be? _He_ was the one who had kept her from escaping, taken advantage of her weakness. Deep down, she knew she was being unfair. How could he have known she was weak? And, by keeping her here, she had been able to recover _much_ more quickly than she would have in the wild.

But her boiling resentment was blind and angry. How she had felt when she had elbowed him in the nose hadn't changed at all since then, except to grow. By now, it would be better described as rage.

Chain ignored Talo's mindless rambling and Beth's swooning over the teen, and focused only on her enemy as he led the last of the goats into the barn.

And, much to her dismay, he reigned his horse over towards them.

Vaulting off the roan steed, he walked over to her, showing no emotion other than curiosity.

He tiled his head to one side, a question burning in his crystal blue orbs.

"Well?" the girl demanded, putting her hands on her hips and leaning back a bit. "Spit it out!"

"Link doesn't talk," Talo immediately replied, and Beth's soft whisper of "strong and silent" did not go unheard. Chain chose to ignore it.

"What he's trying to say is," Talo spoke the words with a slight superior air, which the stranger also chose to ignore, " 'are you okay?'"

Chain rolled her eyes, still not looking away from the boy. "What's it to you?" she snarled at him menacingly, "why do you care?"

Link—that was the young man's name—shrugged his shoulders in a circular motion, his questioning eyes not changing their expression.

"I just want to know," Talo translated with practiced ease. The orange-haired girl hissed silently through her teeth.

"Then you'll 'just have to find out', yourself," she growled, spinning around on her heel and stepping lightly away, an evident limp showing in her gait.

"She's _fine,_ " Fado strutted up to his apprentice, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Women are just like that."

Link didn't believe him one bit.

Link trudged home that night, totally and utterly exhausted after herding the rams in and out of the barn, and feeding them, and shearing them, and milking them…

He staggered a bit, too tired to even see where he was going. The last bit of sun sank below the distant mountains, and the rosy fingers of scarlet and orange receded from the purple sky of twilight.

Twilight.

Link sighed, and couldn't help but think back to that time, once upon an adventure ago. He'd tried so hard to forget what had happened, _who_ had happened. It seemed so long ago… had it really been only a year?

Shaking his head clear of any thoughts like… like _that,_ he stumbled towards Uli and Rusl's cottage by the river.

The golden-haired teen had been waiting all day to check in on Chain, to make sure that she really _was_ all right, like Fado had said.

The young man knocked lightly on the door, and a small screaming immediately started up.

"No!" Uli's despairing cry sounded, and Linked backed away as the door swung open.

Uli was on the other side, her shrieking baby in her arms, and a somnolent expression plastered onto her fatigued face. She brightened up, if only a little, at the sight of Link, and adjusted her daughter, who clung to her body like a thistle.

"Hello, Link," she sighed, panting slightly as she smoothed back her frizzy, messy hair. "What can I do for you?"

The young goatherd craned his neck slightly, trying to see the girl, and took a small step forward.

"Nope," Uli blocked his view and deftly pushed him back outside. "I'm sorry, you can't see the girl now. We don't want to crowd the cripple. This house is already bursting at the seams, you know—me, my son and daughter, my husband, and Chain. That doesn't exactly work very well for a house with one room."

Seeing the kid's forlorn expression, her face softened into a sweet, knowing smile. "You can just forget about her, Link. She's _fine_. Now, shoo!" she swatted at the boy, hefting the baby up higher on her waist. "Go get some rest—you look exhausted."

Link respectfully bowed his head and began to plod back to his tree house. _He_ looked exhausted? The woman was only in her late twenties, and she already had stress marks lining her face, and bags dangling under her eyes. And they both knew that there was no rest from being a mother.


	5. Betrayed

Betrayed

A week.

It was an entire week before Chain felt strong enough to go back outside.

Correction—it was an entire week before _Uli_ felt that Chain was strong enough to go outside. Every time the flame-haired girl asked, or even _begged_ to go out, she attempted to dodge the question or come up with some lame excuse.

But, as far as Chain was concerned, that was perfectly fine. It wasn't long before the strange tattooed girl realized that this gave her more time to think than ever, instead of complain—which was what she had been doing, of course.

She thought about fighting.

She was _certain_ that she had done it before—it felt like she knew how. She tried as hard as she could to just _remember_ how she did it. And if she ever passed out again, people would just think that she was asleep, resting to heal herself. She had the back muscles for a bow and arrow, she realized after a few days, and the arm muscles for a sword, or something like that. Now, why didn't she have them now? Where did they go?

Five days after she had seen Link on the ranch, Chain came to a conclusion: the only thing that felt natural was how she fought. Surely, to gain any muscle at all, she had to have been able to fight well for some time now. And, if she had been fighting for a while, then all she would have to do would be follow her instincts. Nothing too hard, right?

Now, convincing Uli that she was well enough to go outside was another matter altogether.

"Please?" she asked, circling the mother like a vulture as she prepared lunch.

"No," she replied steadily, not looking up from her pot of stew.

"But why _not?_ " Chain's long, flowing bonfire of a mane floated along behind, her, trailing gracefully through the air until Uli was trapped in a circle of Chain.

"Because I said so," she replied, obviously nothing but irritated.

That was when the baby started wailing again, this time louder than she had ever screamed before in all of the past few weeks Chain had been recuperating in Ordon Village.

It was amazing that Uli lasted as long as she did—it was still two more days before Chain was allowed outside. But she _did_ go outside, and that was a miracle in itself. Or maybe just a baby.

" _Fine_!" Uli finally snapped after another vicious bout of annoying begging, "Go out!"

The mother had hardly finished the sentence before Chain darted outside, slamming the door closed as she went—which caused the baby to wail once more, and Uli let out a loud, harsh groan.

The stranger gasped sharply when the cool breeze hit her face, and the warm rays of the sun settled down on her skin. The colours struck her as if she were a match, and she actually _smiled_ at them. This was such a stark contrast with the muted browns and grays that had made up the interior of Uli's cottage, and, for once, the gaudy colours were welcoming instead of disgusting.

Chain shook her head briskly, knowing that this amity with the day wouldn't last very long. Anyways, she had a job to do.

 _"Hey, you!"_ A familiar, high-pitched voice screamed from behind her. She whirled around, her unusually good mood spoiled, to find—surprise, surprise—Talo and his gang of the village children.

"What do you want?" The redhead rolled her eyes, a wry smirk forming on her face.

"You good enough to play with us some more?"

"Why don't we find out?" Chain grinned slightly, showing her long canines, before allowing herself to be led back to the tree house.

"Do you remember how to play Battle?" Beth asked excitedly as she dragged Chain along by one hand.

"Of _course_ she does, dummy!" Talo yelled from the foreigner's other side, then hesitated a bit before looking up to the tattooed teenager. "Do you?"

Chain rolled her amber eyes again, and that seemed to be answer enough for the little boy as he stumbled to a stop in the clearing.

"Here we are!" Colin's voice sounded from behind the girl, and she whipped around to face him—she'd almost forgotten he was there.

"Now watch and learn, lady!" Talo shouted from atop a pile of logs, sounding very manly indeed. Chain turned back around to watch him, hands in her pockets. She laughed when he began to beat up a nearby training dummy with a stick.

"We'll help, too!" Beth exclaimed, running over to give the mannequin a soft smack, Malo and Colin following close behind. It wasn't long before the dummy looked like little more than a writhing mass of punches and kicks.

Suddenly, the children scurried back, and the model toppled over with a dull _thunk_. The village youths cheered, giving one another high-fives and slapping each other on the back.

"Now you try!" Talo giggle happily, stepping closer to the stranger. Colin took her hand and gave her n encouraging smile.

"You can do it," he whispered, and Chain nodded slowly. Taking a shaky breath, she raised her hands, concentrating hard on a dummy that was just the her right. Colin stayed by her side, and Talo ran up to her to watch, excitement glowing brightly in his eyes.

Chain squeezed her eyes shut.

A shudder.

A scream.

Then nothing.

"So, did you say everything you needed to say?"

Link snapped to attention at his boss's words. Fado chuckled deeply at him before turning back to his work.

"I didn't think so," the snicker was evident in his voice as he tossed an armload of hay over the barn door.

Link looked at his bare feet sheepishly, wriggling them around in the mud as he shoved some straw in for the goats to eat, automatically sneaking some into his pocket to give to Epona later.

Then something made him stop. He froze in the middle of scooping up another armload, his long, pointed ears twitching slightly.

"I heard it too," Fado muttered from beside him, his expression grim and his head turned towards the town. They stood there for a moment, just staring off towards the Faron Woods.

Then there was a sudden shout, one of complete and utter terror, that was suddenly cut short.

"Talo!"

Fado and Link didn't wait a second before they rocketed towards the forest, Link steadily pulling ahead. Fearing the worst, his anxiety only grew as his legs pumped faster and faster, and he broke out into a cold sweat.

Another scream sounded, and was also abruptly silenced.

 _Colin!_

His heart racing far ahead of him, Link stumbled to a stop at the clearing and gasped at the scene that lay before him.

Talo and Colin lay sprawled out on the ground, and they didn't seem to be breathing. Beth and Malo were sitting beside them, their eyes wide, terrified, and brimming with tears. Uli, Pergie, and Ilia were kneeling by the children, protective arms draped around them as the other villagers that were steadily arriving formed a circle around a slender figure that was lying prostrate on the forest floor.

It was Chain.

What had happened?

Link could only stand, stunned at the scene. He was immobile.

That is, until the older villagers went at the stranger with pitchforks, knives, and a variety of other sharp objects.

"Hey!" He yelled, snapping out of his shock. Startled at the teen's voice, everyone turned to stare at him. Thinking fast, Link swiftly plucked a shred of emerald grass from the ground and blew on it, a loud melody of high-pitched notes. Almost immediately, a loyal whinny sounded from the direction of the ranch.

 _Epona better get here quick,_ Link thought frantically as he darted towards the horde of townsfolk.

"Link!" Mayor Bo gawked at the boy as he ran at Jaggle, "What are you doing , my boy?"

Link didn't answer. Jaggle turned to look at him, eyes narrowed, and reached out to grab Link by the arm.

But the young blonde saw it coming.

He ducked beneath the huge limb that was the smith's arm, knowing that he could never escape from that viselike grip. Skidding through the dirt, he barely avoided a blow from Rusl. He rolled to one side, only to find Fado's fist flying towards his face.

Link managed to duck just enough, so that it didn't do much more than skim his temple.

The blue-eyed youth staggered back, crying out in pain as his head began to throb, but it didn't bleed, and that was all he needed to keep going on. He knew the villagers wouldn't hurt him, and he also knew he would never hurt them. But he couldn't let them hurt this girl.

Stumbling under what seemed to be a hundred hands stretched out to stop him, Link darted over to Chain and scooped her up, surprised at how light she was.

He turned back around and yelped as Jaggle lunged for him, missing by a hair, maybe less.

Link narrowed his azure orbs in defiance. He'd gotten this far—he most definitely wasn't going to let them kill the foreigner now.

But, the more the village fighters closed in, the more Link realized that defiance alone wasn't going to help him. There was no way he could get through his friends on his own, not at least without hurting them—and he would never do that.

Link's ears twitched, and he narrowed his eyes further, this time in concentration. Were those… hoof beats?

 _Epona!_

He brightened up as the crowd parted to reveal his faithful friend, a beautiful roan horse with a silky cream mane and tail. Knowing her master well, she didn't stop running, but instead slowed down to a brisk canter so the Hylian could mount her.

Link first threw the girl onto Epona's back before swinging onto her back himself and galloping away.

He tried, he tried as hard as he could not to look back.

But when did that ever work?

The last thing he saw was Ilia's expression, accusing and betrayed.

Something wet fell down the hero's face.


	6. Hurt

Hurt

Chain woke by a fire.

It glowed in the night, warm and bright, and it flickered with red and blue. She squinted at the blaze, staring at it long and hard until it flooded together into a shuddering blur. Strange… she felt like that should mean something to her.

Chain didn't have time to think about that any more, however, before she became suddenly aware of another presence waiting just across the fire from her.

Her muscles automatically tensed, and she groaned softly as they shouted at her in agony. Why did they hurt so much?

The person opposite her started a bit, and she bit her tongue, trying to keep silent. She couldn't see the figure well—he was on the other side of the flame and the glare blinded her like a grudge.

But she did recognize some things. The gold hair that shone dully in the firelight, the sapphire eyes that glinted through the smoke.

"Link," she growled, pushing herself up, trying to ignore her cracking bones and the muscles that screamed in protest.

"Chain," his gaze was steady and unchanging, and his face betrayed no emotion at all except… sadness? What reason did Link have to be sad?

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, but regretting it immediately as it seemed to turn her brain to slush, everything came flooding back the girl.

She'd gone outside and begun to play Battle… she'd lifted her hands…

And then nothing. Only darkness that clouded her thoughts like a thick fog.

But then… a light, however soft. Faces, so many faces… knives… a glint of blue, and the feeling of strong hands picking her up…

"You saved me."

It was a simple statement, only three words. But it had meaning, and a million different undertones. Disbelief and confusion were some of the most prominent motions, but then came accusation, revulsion, hatred, and anger.

"Why did you save me?"

Link shrugged, not saying anything. He looked down at the fire, gently stirring the burning branches in it with a stick. Chain hissed silently through her teeth.

"Why did you save me?" she snarled, practically forcing the boy to look up, but his expression was still infuriatingly calm when he didn't answer.

"Can you even hear me?" Chain sneered, "Or are you deaf as well as mute?"

This sparked a satisfying reaction. Link's features reddened, from his cheeks to the tips of his ears. He gritted his teeth and avoided her gaze, mumbling something under his breath.

"What was that?" Chain leaned forward, smiling bitterly, her amber eyes flashing like the fire before her. The boy didn't answer. This was getting annoying.

"Why didn't you just leave me to die?" she yelled at him, forcing herself to stand up despite her aching joints, "Everyone else wanted me to die, so why didn't you? What makes you so different, huh?" she took a step closer to him, the bystander that was the campfire shrinking away from her. " _Why didn't you kill me?"_

Link snapped.

He jerked his head up, his blue eyes shining no less fiercely than the girl's, he shot to his feet, letting all his doubts and frustration flow freely out of him like blood from a wound.

" _Because I couldn't!"_ he screamed, more at himself than anyone. Honestly, he didn't really know _himself_ why he saved the foreigner. She was a complete _stranger,_ and who knows what had happened in the clearing with Talo and Colin. Maybe she really _had_ hurt them.

Link sighed, sitting back down to put his head in his hands. Who was he kidding? He knew exactly why he had saved her. He just didn't want to admit it to himself.

Ever since that time, that time that still seemed so long ago…

How _could_ he stand by? After having the fate of a whole _world_ heaped upon his shoulders as if he were a pack mule, he could never just stand by anymore without knowing everything. Link didn't know yet if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but what he _did_ know was that he could never be the same again after that, no matter how hard he tried. And now that stupid change was dragging him into yet another problem. Was he really that weak now?

Also…

"Hey, Link?"

The strong voice of the stranger yanked him roughly out of his thoughts. He looked up slightly, peering through his fingers at the girl. She was still standing by the fire, her arms hanging limply at her sides. Her head hung low, and the breeze lifted her hair and sent it slowly drifting through the air like a banner, or a flame.

"Yeah?" his voice cracked when he spoke from lack of use.

Chain sighed softly, her expression relaxing, her anger fading. Sometimes she really didn't know why she hated this guy so much. Sure, he was really quiet, but some things people can't help. Sure he had taken advantage of her weakness back when he'd stopped her from escaping, but he was just doing his duty. There were some times she hated the guy, and that was, admittedly, a good portion of the time she was with him, but other times, Link could be almost decent.

Or maybe it was just her.

But, one way or another, Chain decided that this was one of the times she was fine with the Hylian.

"Thanks."

With that simple word that conveyed worlds, Chain laid down, using her arm as a pillow, and her breathing soon became slow and steady.

Link just sat there, rooted to the spot like a dead tree, not daring to move, to think, to breathe. He watched as the wind that drifted through the trees deep in Faron Woods ruffle this girl's long auburn streaks of hair, and he shook his head. Surely she hadn't just been decent? He'd always found how there was more to people than met the eye—Telma, Zelda, Mid… the teen shook his head, once again forcing the thoughts of his friend out of his head. He focused back on the problem in front of him, the problem that took the forme of an auburn-haired girl.

Link nodded once, determined to find out just who this Chain was, and why she brought all these memories back.

Maybe another adventure was just what he needed.


	7. Dame or Demon

Dame or Demon

Chain creaked her eyes open just as the sun burst over the trees. She squinted, her pupils adjusting hurriedly as her vision filled with the white glare of light. Was it the light that had woken her up…?

No. She heard something from just in front of her, a rustling sound that reminded her of an animal creeping through grass.

She shot up, suddenly wide awake and alert, and her gaze fell on, not a monster or a beast, but a tall boy with hair the colour of the sun just across from the burnt-out campfire. He was packing his things, she realized, packing away his provisions, tools, and Rupees. She watched as he slipped a worn green tunic over his thin goat herding clothes that consisted of a thick sash and a belt, and he strapped a utility belt to his waist and his broadsword across his back.

"Going somewhere?" she asked as he gingerly placed a shabby green cap over his head.

"You want to get your memory back, don't you?" he asked simply, not looking away from his work.

"Of course!" she perked up, pushing herself to her feet.

He looked her in the eye, icy blue and flaming amber.

"I know a guy."

Link steered Epona through the thick trees and muddy tunnels, going as far as he dared this deep in the woods. He trusted her to avoid any obstacles he couldn't see, and she trusted him to steer her where she needed to be and to keep her safe. It was a relationship they were comfortable with, and one they had lived many years with.

Chain, on the other hand, was rather new to this.

"Watch out!" She yelped as she spotted a large root jutting out of the ground at an awkward angle, but Epona leapt over it with ease. Link allowed himself a small smile as she dodged tree limbs that weren't even remotely close, and glared at every root and stone with nervous eyes. Soon she simply gave up and clutched Link's shoulders as tightly as she could, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Calm _down_ ," Link rolled his eyes as the cover of the trees kissed them goodbye. "We're in Hyrule field now."

The stranger cracked her eyes open a bit, hesitant at first, but they burst wide open when she saw the plain.

The first thing she noticed was that the light wasn't the enemy.

Looking back, it seemed crazy that was the first thing she realized, amidst all those bright shades of emerald and cerulean, but, at the same time, it didn't. The sun didn't beat down on her, the light didn't blind her, and the day didn't burn her. For a moment, it almost seemed… beautiful.

But, all too soon, Link slowed his horse down, and they pulled into an immense, rusty orange gorge. The wind stopped whipping her hair back and cooling her skin, and the sun gladly seemed to go back to its job as her torturer. The light bounced off the rock all around and dazzled her, and the heat ran off her in waves.

"Kakariko Village," Link announced, and proudly waved his hand towards a ghost town of a village with boarded-up houses, rolling tumbleweeds, and not a soul to be seen.

"And… _what_ , exactly, are we doing here?" Chain demanded, suddenly back to her sour mood.

"I don't know if you know Ilia yet," Link explained as they hopped off the horse and began to walk through the hamlet, "but she lost her memory about a year back." Chain studied his features closely for signs of emotion, but his face stayed stony and straight.

"And…?" she prodded, shielding her face from the sun as she looked at him.

"And a man that lives here, Renado, helped us get her memory back. And I'll bet nearly anything he can help you here, too."

"Really?" Chain managed to sound skeptical and hopeful at the same time, and Link was saved from having to respond by a gentle, deep voice that sounded from a familiar domed teepee of a building—the Sanctuary.

"Link!" Renado exclaimed, beaming at the teen, "I did not expect to see you today. What brings you here? Who is this?" he gestured at Chain, who glared back defiantly.

"Chain," the girl stated, looking the man up and down.

"The answer to both questions," Link grunted simply before leaving to lead Epona to the nearby spring.

Renado shot a confused look at Link, then back to the stranger.

Chain rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "I have amnesia, Link said you'd know what to do, all right?"

"I see…" the healer narrowed his eyes in thought, his mind wandering back to that time that seemed so long ago…

"Have you known Link very long?" he asked, studying the young woman suspiciously.

"No, not really," Chain sighed, "now can you help me or not?!"

"Yes… but this will be a bit trickier than with Ilia. What will you be willing to do to get your memories back?"

Chain grinned widely, a dangerous look in her eye.

"Whatever it takes."

Renado nodded approvingly before calling Link back to join them.

 _Can you help?_ Link's expression clearly stated, and Renado nodded an affirmative. Link looked relieved and handed him some Rupees he'd gotten when he'd retrieved his equipment and rations from his house late last night.

"No need," the man shook his head, smiling down at the boy, "I sense this is another Ilia-type situation? One that will help others as well?"

Link shrugged. He wasn't exactly sure… what if Chain got her memory back, and she was just some sorceress from a distant kingdom? Or what if she wasn't a sorceress, or anything like that, but simply a local who got lost, and all this wasn't her at all?

Link scolded himself mentally. Of course she wasn't a local. No local could do anything that would cause the peaceful, forgiving Ordon villagers to try to kill her. And no sorceress would let her magic overpower her like it had. No, Chain was something much more strange… and much more powerful.

Anyways, whether she was a dame or a demon, there was only one way to find out. And finding out couldn't hurt… could it?


	8. Hers

Hers

Link sat in the bright light of afternoon as the sun fell in line with the cliffs above, spilling its rays into the gorge like rain. The boy sighed, closing his eyes for a moment and breathing in the soft scent of heat. The dust was perfectly warm underneath his fingertips, and the cool spring water gently lapped at his feet, slowly sinking through his boots. Renado's words flashed through his mind once more— _We'll try to find something that would trigger her memory._

He'd decided to start off with the same approach they'd used with Ilia all those months ago, and that had seemed like a good idea at first. That is, until Link realized he hardly knew anything about her.

The boy sighed, running his tired hands through his golden hair and looking out across the spring, where Epona stood patiently. Chain was still inside the Sanctuary with Renado, where he was asking her anything he thought would help, even remotely. Needless to say, it wasn't going too well.

 _Think, Link,_ the teen squeezed his sky-coloured eyes shut once more, probing his brain as far back as he could remember, _Is there_ anything _you know that could help them?_

He scrolled through his memories, starting from last night and making his way backwards. He shook his head roughly, his shaggy gold bangs falling over his eyes as he strained to remember every last detail. He came to when he saw her walking around with the village kids, but nothing was there that could help. Further back, when he first saw her draped across Fado's arms as he carried her to Uli's house. Nothing.

He sighed in defeat, looking up at the grinning sun and leaning back against the warm sandstone wall of the canyon and let the light play on his face. He watched the colours swirl around in his vision as his eyes relaxed and closed again, this time in exhaustion. Automatically, his mind played back on the events of the past few days.

He worked his way back again, but this time calmly instead of feverishly, blissfully stuck in the kind of serenity that came only with sleep.

 _"Help!"_ Fado's familiar voice called out, and the young adventurer groggily opened his eyes, watching the rancher come running towards him out of a thick white mist. A limp body was slung across his arms as the scene the boy had thought so much about played out once again.

Link didn't pay much attention as the rest of the story unfolded until one sentence seemed to leap out of his boss's mouth and stand out against the backdrop of dream-like smoke.

 _"I found her sprawled on the ground just off the edge of town, near the spring!"_ Fado cried.

Link's eyes snapped open, and the sun was setting on Kakariko Village.

 _The edge of town, near the spring._ The teen shot up, his feet splashing in the warm waters of the healing pool. Mentally smacking hisself for not seeing this earlier, he sloshed through the rippling waves that were coloured scarlet by the setting sun.

"Epona!" he called to his faithful friend, and her head immediately shot his way. She galloped towards the boy from across the spring, whinnying loudly as if to say, "It's almost dark—what are you up to this time?"

"We're going back home," Link swung onto the saddle and narrowed his eyes against the wind as they galloped towards the entrance of the town. Epona's ears pricked at the sound of that word they both loved so much. Link let out a short laugh, ruffling her fur and crouching closer to her aerodynamic body.

"No, girl. We're not staying."

The roan horse snorted unhappily, but rocketed towards Ordon Village nonetheless.

"I know," Link murmured, wrapping his hands in her creamy man and releasing a soft sigh that was immediately taken by the wind.

"I wish we were, too."

Hyrule Field was dark by the time they made it out of the canyon, and the wind was cold as it bit at Link's exposed face and hands like a white Wolfos. Occasionally, as they sped through the grasses, something would flash a luminous gold or blue—the fireflies, fairies, and golden bugs that always seemed to remind Link of his past journeys.

He abruptly shoved the memories into the back of his mind as he neared the forest. The moon was always high in the nighttime sky, lighting the ground with its soft glow and casting jagged shadows on the dirt as it fell through the twisted tree limbs.

It wasn't long before he reached the spring, the silky waters glowing white and rich so they looked more like milk than anything else.

Link leapt off Epona and immediately began to search for anything that looked like it would belong to Chain. He looked under every bush in the area, every fallen leaf and blade of grass, every boulder and tree root—and he found nothing except a golden grasshopper and a few Rupees, which he sullenly shoved into his pouch without even thinking. The moon was low by now, sinking behind the mountains with a final beam of light, which the sun promptly banished.

The spring was no longer milk, but liquid gold as the morning sun ran its soft hands across its surface, causing small ripples in the water that sent Link's haloed reflection into shambles. He slumped down at the edge of the pool and looked over at Epona who was fast asleep in the shade of a large pine. Link sighed and turned his head to gaze down into the pool's sunlit depths. He'd been stupid to come here—there hadn't been any guarantee that Chain had dropped anything when she'd collapsed here, anyways.

He stared off at the gently waving weeds that lined the floor of the pool as the gold faded to crystal and watched some fish swim around between the rocks, weaving in and out of them like the breeze that made the forests sing.

Link closed his eyes and listened, relaxing immediately when he heard the trees—they _were_ singing, just as he had remembered. It had been a while since he'd taken the time to listen to the forest's melody, he realized—over a year, actually. The last time had been when he was talking to Ilia, just before the twilight had fallen.

Link started, shocked. He tried to banish the thoughts of his adventures in that time of shadow, as he had done so many times before, but he eventually gave up. The day was nice, the spring water felt good as it mixed with the sun—it was really just the kind of day that made him want to curl up and take a nap, not fight.

 _But I have a job to do,_ the boy thought, pushing himself to his feet and stretching. He was exhausted—searching for something that didn't exist all night did that kind of thing to a person. Link looked over at Epona, and he smiled fondly at her.

 _Looks like_ someone _had a good night's sleep,_ he thought to himself, letting out a short bark of a laugh. The horse's eyes opened groggily at this, and she drowsily pushed herself to her hooves, shaking the leaved and dirt out of her mane and giving her friend a small whinny.

 _You're still up?_ She asked, and Link sighed.

"It seems so."

He turned back towards the spring, taking one last look as he scooped some of the healing water into a jar. It was beautiful, and that was one of the many reasons he loved Ordon. As the teen twisted the cork back onto the bottle, he stood and turned away, ready to mount Epona and head back to Kakariko.

But something caught his eye.

A bright, steady glimmer in the pond that glittered as the rising sun shone on it. Link curiously took a step closer, narrowing his eyes against the bright light bouncing off the water's surface. It wasn't a fish—it didn't move at all, so what was it?

 _Well,_ Link thought, shrugging to himself. _There's only one way to find out._

The goatherd dove into the lake, forcing his eyes open and pushing himself through the waters towards the vividly shining object. As his shadow obstructed it, the mystery item dulled until it revealed a stone.

Link swam in place, gently picking the rock from its place in the weeds. It was smoothe and black, and only about the size of his hand.

 _Dang it!_ Link hissed slightly, sending a small jet of bubbles floating to the surface. _It's just a rock!_

But, the more he looked, the more he realized that it was most definitely _not_ just a rock. It was smoothly cut into hard edges and flat sides, and there was something about it… something foreboding.

The boy clutched it tight as he swam up, staring at it the whole way. Could this belong to Chain? Like he'd said earlier, there was only one way to find out.

As he pulled himself onto dry ground, Link saw that there were faint markings on the stone, engraved so lightly they were hardly felt. He turned it a bit in the light, and almost physically jerked back in surprise.

They were the same markings that were tattooed on Chain's left side.

 _This_ has _to be hers!_ Link narrowed his eyes in determination, tucking the gem safely away in his bag and swinging onto Epona's back. She neighed at him reproachfully, eyeing him as if to say, _you're wet!_

"Come on, girl," the young man urged her northwards. "We've got to get back."


	9. Strangely Familiar

Strangely Familiar

"When will that boy get here?" Renado muttered to himself as he sat in the round-walled sanctuary, glancing out the window to see the last of the day's heat fly from the tanned rocks in waves. He looked at his feet, impatiently laying his head in his hands. Usually, he could stand a wait, even one this long—but this girl was different. He was intrigued by her, fascinated by her, and he wanted to know more.

But Link was late. Of course, he should have seen this coming: the golden-haired youth was often late for a good number of things, most of them important.

"Renado?"

the healer's head tilted up at the sound of his name, and he smiled gently at Chain, who was perched on the railing of the stairs, her bright auburn hair swaying gently in the draft that drifted through an open window.

"Yes, my child?"

"Do… do you really think this will work?"

He shifted himself in his seat, sitting up straighter and looking the girl in the eye.

"Yes. I'm sure of it."

This Chain was very different from the one he'd escorted into the sanctuary the previous afternoon—that one had been rambunctious, protesting, and rather rude. This young woman was more… subdued. Now, she understood the possibilities of what the doctor could do for her, and she was… nervous.

Yes, this girl was very fascinating indeed.

Both of their eyes snapped up at the dull throb of hoof beats on dust, and before Renado could even blink, Chain had leapt off the railing and was leaning halfway out the window.

" _Look who finally decided to show up!"_ she called angrily, her eyes flashing and the edges of her mouth turned down in a slight scowl. Link reigned Epona in a she trotted towards the Sanctuary, leaping off her back before she came to a full stop and stumbling towards the dome.

He burst through the door, his mouth opening like he was about to say something, but Renado beat him to it.

"Link! You're here!" he strode up to the young man, arms open wide and a large, serene grin splitting his features. _Finally,_ he thought, once more at ease, _we'll get to the bottom of this mystery._

"Yeah, and—" the crystal-eyed teen was cut off by the healer, who took him and Chain by the shoulder and led them to the center of the room.

"We have found a way to get Chain's memory back!"

For a moment, all Link could do was stand, stunned and wide-eyed, and feel his face slowly drop.

"Are you serious?" his shoulders sagged and he groaned mentally. Really?

"Yeah," Chain nodded once, arms folded across her chest, trying to stay calm when it was obvious she could only barely hold her excitement in.

"Let's get started, shall we?" Renado beamed hugely and backed up a few steps away form the red-haired girl, puling Link along with him as he explained.

"I was talking to young Chain here," he motioned to the stranger as she unconsciously rubbed her tattoo, "and, after a few questions, she said that she could only remember a single fighting stance, and that was it. So we came upon a solution—she try to fight, and her memory might come back! I have a feeling it was the only thing she can remember for a reason, and this could quite possibly be the key to everything!"

Link chewed on his knuckle, deep in thought, and stared out the window. It was already half past noon, and the sun seemed to be hurrying to set.

"Sounds simple enough," Link murmured, and Renado patted him on the back in agreement.

"Exactly. We were waiting for you to return so that you could see what happens as well. Chain, shall we begin?"

She nodded again, closing her amber eyes and taking a deep, shaky breath. The last time she had done this, everything had gone black. But she was stronger now, and she could stay awake this time.

Right?

Shoving all doubt from her head, she slowly lifted her hands, blocking out everything except her only memory and the steady beating of her heart.

Her fingers twitched, and she snapped her eyes open, a surprised yelp escaping her lips. She didn't remember _that_ from last time—the thousands of needles that dug into her flesh.

But there were just her hands, held steadily out in front of her, and Link and Renado looking on expectantly. The pain surged again, a bright flash that lasted a moment before fading. Her hands began to shake, and her vision began to darken. She didn't feel herself fall, but the next thing she knew, she was on the floor, and everything went black.

But not before a spark of blue lit up her sight.

Chain stood in the center of the room, her hands held steadily in front of her. Link looked on, not exactly sure what he expected to happen, what he wanted to happen. Chain didn't move, only stood silently, with a void expression and even breaths. Link sighed a bit, wishing he could be that confident about most things he was dealing with now.

Chain's eyes snapped open, looking only mildly surprised with a single eyebrow slightly raised. For a moment, nothing happened.

Then the shadows grew.

Link jumped as the whole room suddenly became dark, almost like someone had blown out a candle. Or maybe the sun. And at the exact moment the world went dark, Chain collapsed.

Her shadow grew, a shadow that was darker and more dense than nearly anything Link had seen before, a shadow that almost seemed tangible and real. It spread slowly out from her body, the edges squared and chiseled and tinged with a strange orange color…

Strange… but familiar.

"W—what is…?" Renado stuttered, his normally strong voice quivering. The shadows reached out towards him, brushing against his foot and enveloping him in the dark. He opened his mouth to scream, but it was cut short by a suddenly flash of bright blue light, and the healer was abruptly replaced by a flickering blue flame that hovered above the ground and shot out icy sparks of life.

 _It's… it's his spirit!_

Link leapt back from the shadow, which continued only a bit after him on its starving journey before it began to recede. The greedy fingers of darkness withdrew from Renado last, as if reluctant to let their prey go.

The moment they left, the quivering fire twisted and grew, configuring itself into the vague shape of a man. The fire faded, and, in its place, was Renado, standing tall with his eyes closed and a blank expression on his face. The last of the electric sparks disappeared, and his eyes snapped open. He fell to the ground, his chest heaving as he wildly gasped for breath.

Link watched as the shadows fell back to Chain, morphing back with her own and fading to a normal tone. She groaned slightly, blinking her eyes open and pushing herself up.

"Wh—What…?" she murmured, sounding exhausted. "What… Link?" she looked up at him, and he took a step back nervously.

"That…" Renado began, looking up at the flame-haired girl with fear shining bright in his eyes, "that _demon!_ "

The healer leap to his feet, pulling a long, straight dagger out of a fold in his cloak and leaping towards the foreigner.

"No!" the blue-eyed Ordon native yelped, "Wait!" he grabbed the older man's hand, straining to force it up and back. Sweat began to roll down his face—he was strong, but Renado was _big_.

"Hey!" Chain exclaimed, kicking at Renado's legs. He stumbled back, buying Link just enough time to get the girl and rocket out of the domed building.

"Stop!" the shaman exclaimed, calling the attention of every soul in the village, "Get them!"

A nearby group of Gorons were the first to act, curling up into boulders and rolling toward the duo as they ran towards Epona, who stood near the spring, nibbling casually at the little blades of grass.

"Get on!" Link shouted to Chain, who didn't hesitate before leaping onto the horse's back and pulling the golden-haired teen up after her. They shot away, Epona dodging the furious rock-like creatures that bowled after her like any sensible horse would. They rode for their lives, bursting through the town and into the field, just as the sun set behind them and gilded every blade of grass, leaf, and speck of dust with amber and gold.

"At this rate," Link muttered, "we won't be welcome _anywhere_ in Hyrule."


	10. Stolen

Stolen

The Gorons stopped chasing them at midnight.

The deceptively serene moon shone its light over the world as poor, exhausted Epona galloped vigilantly across the seemingly endless central field of Hyrule. Chain looked behind her and saw the rock-like creatures stand straight for a moment before curling up into boulders and rolling back to their home. She let out a sigh of relief and allowed her eyes to close. As Link reigned Epona in to a stop, a flash of blue lit up her memories.

"Link?" she spoke slowly, cautiously, and Link could tell this was a question he wouldn't particularly enjoy answering.

"What?" he groaned, hopping of his horse and stretching his back and arms.

"Before I passed out," the question began, and Link was already dreading the rest, "I saw a flash of blue light. What was it?"

Link became pallid, and his blood went cold as Snowpeak. But he didn't hesitate to answer.

"It was the healer, Renado," he muttered. Chain looked up at him from her seat on the dirt, an utterly confused expression on her face. Link forced a laugh and shook his head, "he tried to do something that would keep you from passing out, but it ended… well, you can guess from there."

She couldn't know what really had happened. Not now.

Chain nodded and shrugged. "Makes sense, I guess."

Link let out a small sigh of relief, inaudible to everyone but himself and Epona who nickered softly, as if laughing at him. Link rolled his eyes at her and rubbed her behind the ears, quieting her down.

"And you still don't remember anything?" he asked after a while, looking at the girl over his shoulder. Chain shook her head, and Link let out an exasperated hiss. This was getting them nowhere.

Chain looked on, a small smirk playing at her lips. It seemed that Link was more interested in this little mystery than _she_ was.

Suddenly, Link brightened up.

"What?" Chain asked, confused.

"I just remembered something," he grinned rummaging in a canvas bag tied around his waist. Chain nodded slightly, frowning a bit as her gaze shifted from Link to something just past him.

"What's that?" she asked, pushing past the teen to stare at something floating a few hundred yards away. She began to walk towards it.

"Wait—no!" Link cried out, but her back was to him and her curiosity outweighed her patience. "I've got it somewhere here!"

"It can _wait!_ " the redhead snapped, glaring at him out of the corner of her eye. Link groaned loudly in protest, but followed nonetheless, eyes fixed on his pack. It was surprisingly crowded, considering he hadn't been outside of Ordon Village in months.

After a bit, his fingers brushed against something cold and hard, and its shape told him it was definitely not another Rupee.

"Found it!" he cried out in victory, holding it up in the air and looking up just in time to stop himself before he strode headlong into Chain. She stood, frozen to the spot, eyes wide in horror and shock.

"L—Link…?" she managed, her voice a mere whisper, "What's… what's _that?"_

"What's what…?" the blonde's words were swallowed by the night as he looked up to see a large black iron lantern with jagged edges and a fluid, ghostly blue flame burning inside it.

It was floating in midair.

Chain walked forward, her interest growing by the minute. There was a small blue light hovering a few yards above the ground, and a small white forme above it, illuminated by the moon. As she drew nearer, her eyes widened, and her steps became slower and more hesitant. Suddenly, the moon's shine faded out of the picture as it was obscured by clouds, and she realized that the object was glowing.

She stopped in her tracks. Before her was the crux of her nightmares.

Chain didn't notice the lantern so much as the creature floating above it. It was made of glowing, greenish-white cloth that was messily stitched together to forme a small, humanoid puppet with an unfamiliar crest inked in black upon its chest. It had huge, bulging eyes that were sewn shut and a long, crooked grin that spread all the way across its round head, which ended in a long, flimsy point that reminded the girl of an executioner's mask. In its crudely formed palms it held an axe-like scythe that had a point on each end and a deadly edge, and souls of the dead filled the iron lantern that pierced both its feet.

Link exclaimed something from behind her, but Chain didn't hear what he was saying. Her gaze was fixed on the demon before her, and she felt as if it would stay there forever.

"L—Link…?" her shallow breathing made her voice sound like the creak of the lantern as it swayed back and forth. "What's… what's _that?_ "

Link strode up beside her, slowing to a halt as he finally caught sight of the monster. She could hear his breath catch in his throat, and she imagined he was as pale as she was right now.

"Chain…?" he muttered, his breathing becoming short and fast. "Run."

He grabbed her by the arm and yanked her towards where Epona stood serenely, but the girl was still stunned.

"Run!" the young man shouted, and the shimmering terror sprung into action. It spun around in the air, the lantern jingling cheerfully beneath its feet, and it brought its scythe down to slice the air just in front of Chain's face.

The girl yelped, finally out of the spell, and ran beside Link to the horse. But the beast was gaining, and it was gaining fast. It floated beside Chain, keeping up with their breakneck pace as easily as it carried its weapon. Chain felt the blood drain from every fiber of her being, and her legs felt like they were about to fall off.

It looked her in the eye for a second, and it seemed to peer into her soul. Chain cursed under her breath.

And then it was gone, hovering peacefully in front of them to Link's other side. The blonde boy tried to keep his gaze straight ahead and ran even faster, sweat dribbling down his face to seep under Chain's hand as he gripped hers tightly. The spirit swooped down suddenly, and Link cried out, surprised, but it didn't even raise its weapon. Instead, it plucked something out of the teen's hand and swiftly floated the other way.

"Wha— _Hey!"_ Link shouted, skidding to a stop when he realized what had just happened. "Get that Poe!"

He turned around and ran, as fast as he could towards the creature—the _Poe_ —and promptly left a thoroughly confused Chain in the dust.

"What…" she panted, too irritated to be scared by now, " _What the heck do you think you're doing, you moron?!"_

"That thing stole something from me!" He kept staring forward at the floating lantern, now accompanied by the black stone.

He ran for a few minutes after the light, grabbing at the crystal as often as he could—but it was always a step ahead, which slowly increased to two, then four, until it was beyond his reach. He heard hoof beats from behind him and risked a glance back to see Chain riding up on Epona.

"Good idea" he panted, vaulting up onto his horse and friend, and the chase continued. Chain's eyes were narrowed as she glared at the monster and made mental vows on what she would do when she finally got her hands on it.

They had only been riding for several minutes when Link interrupted her inward rant with a single word.

"Stop!"

Chain yanked back on Epona's mane, surprised at this sudden outburst, and the horse neighed reproachfully, rearing up to stand on her hind legs and causing Link to fall off with a loud _oof_.

The boy got pushed himself to his feet as Chain tried to calm the horse, running to the edge of a sheer drop down to a deep lake far below. Chain walked up beside him, staring with fury in her eyes at the Poe, who looked back at them almost smugly before speeding down to disappear in the forest lining the lake.

Chain noticed something warm running down her forehead and into her eye, and she wiped it off distractedly.

Link cursed loudly, the swear echoing down the canyon as if to continue the chase. The flame-haired girl looked at him, confused.

"What did it take, anyways?" She asked, curiosity ablaze in her eyes yet again. Link slapped his palm to his forehead and dragged it down his face, letting out a long, pained groan.

"An important clue."

" _What_?" Chain yelled, "why didn't you tell me about this earlier?!"

"Well, I haven't exactly had _time_ , you know?!"

They stood there, staring at each other with narrowed eyes and clenched fists. Finally, after a few minutes, Chain spoke.

"Is there _anyone_ else who can help…?"

Link wracked his brain, searching for people who could _possibly_ help in this situation—a nearly nonexistent list that was made mostly up of people who were either enemies or who were dead.

He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose and shaking his head slowly.

"Let's… just go to Castle Town," he murmured, turning around and mounting Epona. "I'm exhausted, and I have some friends there that might be able to help figure out what to do next."


	11. Telma's Bar

Telma's Bar

Chain stared up in awe at the giant castle looming before her. It looked like it had seen some better days, but it was still as foreboding as anyone's business.

A cold shiver rolled down the girl's spine as she thought of what the princess herself might be like…

"Are you coming, or not?" Link peered back at her, not even bothering to look up at the imposing structure.

"Uh, yeah," she muttered, dashing to catch up with him on the long cobblestone bridge that carried them over a moat and to a huge wooden gate.

 _Of course he doesn't look up,_ Chain thought to herself, _he's lived here his whole life!_

As she watched, Link strode across the bridge, pushing open the gate in the same familiar way he distractedly ruffled Epona's mane. She glanced behind her, where Epona was grazing serenely in the field, not seeming agitated or nervous in the slightest. Yes, it was clear that they were both used to this. And with reluctant trust, Chain resigned herself to the fact that she had nothing to worry about here.

So it was that the stranger grudgingly pushed through after the local, and her eyes went wide with amazement.

Inside the walls of Castle Town, there were people. People everywhere, and normally, Chain would've hated that. But this bustling hive of a place wasn't suffocating or claustrophobic, like other mentionable places—it was acquainted. It seemed like the people knew each other, and the crowd was busy and full of life.

To one side, an beggar was asking the passerby for donations, and to the other, a small huddle of woman were gossiping amongst themselves. A man ran by Chain with a bundle of wares on his shoulders, and a little girl and boy chased each other around in the street just ahead of them.

Link looked back over his shoulder to see Chain gaping up at the town. He smiled, laughing softly to himself. He could understand why she was so caught up in this place—there was so much to see. He still gazed around, taking everything in, though he'd lived here his whole life. It was breathtaking to be so close to Hyrule Castle, and walking around under its shadow sent a wave of vigor through the farm boy every time.

Chain numbly followed Link as they passed rows of tall buildings that seemed to have been squeezed together. They came to the square, where a large fountain bubbled in the middle, and guards lined the edges of the town's heart. Two other main arteries peeled off from the square, and the strange tattooed girl could see many other little veins and pathways branching off from them.

It was clear to her now that Castle Town was a living, breathing being. It was shelter to its people, who supported it and helped it to grow. It was a creature of its own, and Chain felt as if she had violated it. She knew she didn't belong here—it was obvious enough through her hair, and the fangs and tattoos didn't help.

She could feel people staring at her as she passed, their eyes boring into the back of her neck. She sighed. It wasn't like this hadn't happened enough back at Ordon or Kakariko. Chain narrowed her eyes.

 _I'm not going to let this get to me,_ she hissed inwardly. _If they can't take me, that's their problem. I'll fight this whole town if I have to._

She strode after Link as he turned down the southern artery, feeling considerably more confident. She glanced up to see dark clouds rolling in, stormy waves of the sky. Perfect—just her kind of weather.

Link walked ahead, oblivious of everything but the change in weather.

 _Great,_ he thought, _rain. I don't want to be out here when it starts. We'd better find a place to stay—and fast._

Walking a bit quick, his feet automatically carried him down the southern street, turning right almost halfway down. He was used to going here—he'd been in and out so many time in his last adventure—Link stopped himself from thinking anything more. He was _not_ going to dwell on that again.

With a doglike shake of his head, he led Chain down a short alley to a little open pocket of cobblestone and refuse—an undeniably sketchy slice of town that held everyone favorite hangout.

They leapt down the small flight of stairs, hardly bothering to walk, and Link dashed over to a small, narrow hallway that led to his home away from home—Telma's Bar.

Chain saw the little, informal-looking door at the end of the enclosed alley, and wrinkled her brow in confusion. Where was Link taking her? The door was opened a crack, and a warm, orange light spilt from inside. Link went in without hesitation, leaving the girl with no choice but to follow. With a small step, Chain reached her hand out to the door, but leapt back when it moved out on its own.

 _What…?_ She looked down to see a large, white cat with thick fur and knowing eyes.

 _Are you coming in?_ it seemed to ask her, and she nodded.

 _Very well._

The cat turned back around, nudging the door open a bit more, and strode back inside, it tail held high like a beacon to follow.

Chain came in after the creature and found herself in a tavern that seemed to have more to see than all of Caste Town.

The room that the girl came into a was a rectangular main room the size of the Sanctuary back in Kakariko village, with ropes and lights crisscrossing the low ceiling, and lively music playing from a lonely minstrel that was sat in the corner on pile of crates and boxes.

A strangely-dressed, yet athletic man hunched over just next to him, bent into into an incredibly uncomfortable-looking crouch as he tilted his head at an upside-down menu and ignored the other tables and chairs in the pub.

"What to order, what to order…" his mutters carried over to the foreigner's pointed ears, "I do believe I'll start with meat."

Chain tilted her head at the man, who looked more like a messenger the more she stared at him, and started at a voice just to her left.

"You need somethin' honey?"

The ginger whirled around, eyes wide and teeth bared, to face a tall woman with deep crimson hair much like her own that was wound into many thin braids that were pulled up into a high ponytail, leaving two thick braids to dangle in front of her ears, metal hoops woven into the ends just barely touching her shoulder. She was pleasantly plump with a full figure and a warm smile, and scarlet tattoos were showing on her tanned skin just below her perpetually smiling emerald eyes.

Her garments were colourful—a bright red choker, a long blue skirt with a patterned green apron hanging down, and a tasseled lilac vest that was buttoned just above the waist to allow a gaudy orange corset to show vividly. A ring of keys hung from the vest, and they jingled merrily as the woman walked over to Chain, laughing heartily.

"A newcomer, are you?" She asked in a deep, but still feminine voice. The lady put a ringed hand on Chain's shoulder and steered her over to a table where Link was sitting, grinning slightly.

"Is this the girl you were talking about?" She inquired, setting the teen down and pulling up a chair next to her.

Link nodded, muttering a small setting the teen down and pulling up a chair next to her. Link nodded, muttering a small " _yeah_."

The woman nodded, taking a good look at Chain with a smile. "Thought so. Well, doesn't she just stand right out, huh?" She winked at the girl.

Normally, Chain would have felt offended, but the woman—she could only be the owner of the bar—spoke in such a friendly manner, Chain couldn't help but smile back, if only slightly.

The bartender frowned.

 _Oh, great_ , Chain mentally slapped herself, _she's seen my fangs._

But the lady reached for Chain's face instead, brushing aside the long, thick hair that covered half of the stranger's face with a surprisingly gentle hand.

"… Telma?" Link asked, confused and looking close at the woman.

Telma tucked the hair behind Chain's ear and ran her thumb over the girls' forehead—Chain winced, and something warm and hot ran down her face.

"What have you two been _doing?_ " She demanded, suddenly showing all the power and authority it was clear she had. Link still looked bewildered, leaning forward to peer at Chain's face.

There, on her forehead, was a long, thin wound that had scabbed over. Telma had broken some of the dried blood off, and it ran again with renewed vigour.

"That must've been from the Poe," Chain murmured, reaching up to wipe off some of the blood that was trickling into her amber eyes. Telma beat her to it, wiping it off with a large thumb and examining it closely. The proprietress gasped, leaning back in shock. Her eyes went wide, and Link's did too. Green and blue, both in unison.

"What?" Chain asked, tilting her head to one side. "What is it?"

Telma stood, gripping Chain's pale wrist and leading her to another area of the bar, a smaller room that was curtained off with thick drapes.

"What is it?" Chain narrowed her eyes, hissing irritably.

Telma pushed aside the curtains to lead the two into a small square room with stone walls and a wooden table in the middle, a map of Hyrule on top that was held in place by a knife and an arrow. The room was lit only with a lantern that was burning in the middle of the table, and she angrily sat Link and Chain on the table, staring down at them with narrowed eyes.

The room was silent, except for the muffled sounds of the minstrel's music and the steady burning of the lantern.

" _Explain,"_ she growled, holding her hand out to the two teens.

It was covered with Chain's blood, a dark red that glinted in the light of the solitary flame.

A dark red that was swirled with black.


	12. Meoooooooow

Meoooooooow

"What's going on?" Chain stared at the two, confusion written clearly on her pale features. "What's so bad?"

Link and Telma stared at her incredulously.

"Are you serious?" Link gaped, wiping some more blood from her forehead. This time, it had more black in it—the more Chain bled, it seemed, the more of the inky colour was mixed in with the red.

"Isn't this normal?" The long-haired ginger tilted her head to one side, the dark, thick liquid running down her face in thin branches.

"Link," Telma turned to the boy, wiping the blood on her skirt, "like I said—I'm going to need an explanation. And now."

With a shaky sigh and a reluctant glance at Chain, the adventurer with hair the colour of the sun recounted their story. The tattooed stranger looked on, listening with a wary ear. She didn't know what exactly was going to happen—Renado's reaction was far from good, and Chain wasn't sure whether she and Link could escape from a place this crowded.

But Link seemed to trust the bartender, so she did, too. Reluctantly enough.

Link finished his account of the past few days with a tired sigh. Just retelling what had happened had left him exhausted—how was he still awake after _living_ it?

 _Easy answer,_ he thought wryly to himself, _I'm not._

Even as he sat there, he could feel his eyelids drooping shut, and it took every bit of willpower he had not to fall asleep where he sat.

Telma noticed, her features softening.

"I understand you must be tired, Link, Chain." She smiled warmly at the two. As if on cue, Chain suppressed a yawn, her eyes fluttering closed.

 _Now that you mention it…_ the ginger drifted off, slumping in her chair. With a soft laugh, the bartender turned back to Link.

"Here; I'll help you guys out. Chain can hole up here for the night, and I'll take you to an inn near the Eastern Gate. How's that sound?"

"Good…" Link nodded slowly to his friend, letting out a wide yawn and stretching widely as he tried to stand up. Almost immediately, he toppled over, falling numbly towards the hard cobblestone floor. Telma, however, was anticipating it, and she caught him before he totally collapsed.

"It's… It's okay…" Link muttered to the woman, "I'm fine… I'll go…" he grew heavier, and he could feel his energy tricking away.

With a smile, Telma scooped the adventurer up in her arms, lifting him up with ease. He laid his head on her collarbone, going totally limp.

"Thanks… Thank you…" he murmured, his azure eyes closed and his voice low. "But I… I can…"

"That's the fattest lie I've ever heard." Telma began to stride purposefully out of the bar, acting as if this was something she did every day. "I'm taking you to the inn, and that's that."

Link didn't protest—in fact, he didn't do anything except let out a series of small, gentle snores. Telma laughed, going out into the street and towards the Eastern Gate. Nobody stared—nobody wanted to. They knew how fierce Telma was, and the _last_ thing they wanted to do was get on her bad side. The tall, robust woman strode unchallenged to a tall, thin building identified by a sign:

 _The Rusty Kettle_.

The faded wooden insignia swung creakily back and forth as Telma went through the door, somehow managing to cradle Link with one arm as she plopped a few days' worth of Rupees onto the table. The landlord took them without complaint, totally ignoring Link.

Telma tiptoed awkwardly upstairs, trying her best not to wake the sleeping teen, and found an empty room for the boy.

Gingerly, she set her little companion down on the bed, her motherly disposition towards him not letting her leave without pulling the covers up.

And without another moment's delay, she left to go prepare a place for the mysterious Chain. Rain started falling in a light mist when she exited the inn, and she looked up, frowning at the sky. It was a good thing she got Link inside before the rain started, she mused.

 _I still don't know what to make of this girl,_ she thought, back to business when she walked down the street, heading back to her tavern. _No one knows where she came from, and what exactly can she do? Summon… what?_

The bartender shrugged as she entered her abode. Chain had made herself comfortable on a pile of sacks of flour, sprawled out in an incredibly awkward position, but somehow fast asleep. Her hair was curled around her like a cat, and as the bartender watched, the girl nestled into it until she was almost buried. Telma laughed quietly, tossing a blanket over the stranger as she had done to Link. Chain muttered under her breath and turned her head in recognition.

 _And that tattoo…_ Telma's eyes scanned the girl's left arm, which was covered with a geometric sign that looked so familiar. It started on the back of her hand and ended on her left cheek, and it was inked in a dark, dull black. Where was this girl from?

 _Who knows?_ The woman slumped in a chair, rubbing her face tiredly. _Not me. There are a lot of strange things about this girl… one thing for sure was that Link left the part about what she could do unclear. He said he wasn't exactly sure, but I think he knows something… or maybe this was another one of those things he's forced himself to forget._

With a shake of her head, Telma rose from the chair, brushed the dirt off her lap, and went back to the main dining room. Everyone was gone, and a glance at the clock told her it was _way_ past closing time.

"All right, then," she told herself with a business-like air. "I'll just clean off these tables and head off to bed. Sleep on it, I guess."

With that, she locked the door the bar.

"Sleep on it, indeed."

Chain woke slowly, letting her eyes drift open as they pleased. As she looked around the messy bar, she stiffened, the feeling of not knowing where she was overwhelming her.

"'Mornin', love!" A tall ginger woman caught her attention before she could leap up and run, and the word _Telma_ came to the foreign girl's mind.

 _Oh…_ she let out a wide yawn as she relaxed once more. _Right._ Untangling herself from her flaming hair, she pushed herself to her feet.

"Hungry?" Telma asked, striding towards the kitchen as if she already anticipated the answer. "I could whip you something up before people start arriving."

The answer was the soft rumble of Chain's stomach, quickly followed by a sheepish smile.

"So meat?" Telma laughed deeply, raising a frying pan. Chain nodded awkwardly.

"Sure…"

The food was done in minutes, and Telma watched as the stranger tore in, tearing with her long canine teeth and completely ignoring any rules of etiquette that may or may not exist.

"Like it?" Telma raised an eyebrow wryly.

" 's good," Chain muttered, finishing the meat in a final gulp. "You're good at food."

Telma laughed again, growing more fond of this Chain character by the minute. "I should hope so! It _is_ how I make a living, after all."

Chain grinned, standing up and gazing up at the formidably woman. Suddenly self-conscious, she picked up her messy plate and walked it over to the kitchen's wash bucket. The soft _clink_ of the plate hitting the bottom was followed by an awkward silence that consisted of Telma's incessant smile and Chain's mind searching for an escape rout.

"I'm going to go check on Link," the teen broke the quiet with a decisive nod. "Any idea where he is?"

" _'Rusty Kettle',_ over near the Eastern Gate. You'll see it."

"Thanks," Chain beamed, and Telma was left alone with a still-strong smile and the first dirty dish of the day.

Chain waked down the street, following the shadows cast by the rising sun to make her way to the Eastern Gate. At first, she kept to those shadows, afraid someone would see her and try to kill her like nearly everybody else had been trying to do lately. Her heart racing, she crept around the edge of the road—but nobody looked her way. Eventually, she stopped trying to hide, casting a wary eye at the surrounding townspeople as she made her way towards the inn Link was staying at.

But still, no one stared. To Chains right, a girl in an elaborate pink dress was happily chasing a shiny black beetle, not caring if she ran into people or not. A tall man in a dark green leotard was striding towards a side alley, a gaggle of giggling girls close at his heels. Another of those Gorons lumbered by, causing Chain to stiffen apprehensively, but she relaxed when she saw it was only carrying bottles of steaming hot spring water to a small wooden stand that was set up on the side of the road.

Chain couldn't believe it. A ghost of a smile flickered across her lips, which quickly turned into a brought, fanged grin. Of course these people didn't stare at her—they saw things just as crazy as her every day. She fit right in with the mismatched crowd, and it felt good.

The more she stared at the morning bustle of Castle Town, the more she noticed something else.

The cats.

There were cats everywhere, spread thickly throughout the crowd like a layer of butter. Warm, fuzzy butter.

All different kinds of cats, weaving in and out of any and every pair of legs they could find as they strutted around. One particularly fat one took Chain from behind, knocking her feet out from under her and sending her on a one-way trip to the floor.

"Hey!" Chain yelled as the cat bounded away, it's fluffy white tail floating smugly in the air. It glanced back at her, eyes gleaming with intelligence, before motioning with its tail for the girl to follow.

 _All…right…_ Chain was confused, to say the least, but followed anyways, slipping through the crowd after the snowy feline, who she recognized as Telma's cat. Pushing her way into an alley, the stranger saw that she wasn't alone. Dozens of cats surrounded her, all heading in the same direction she was going. Getting more and more curious, Chain was herded to a small, square yard of pounded-in dirt and sporadic tufts of grass.

Here was where all the cats congregated, lining the area and gazing expectantly at a small, squat house that laid, defeated, at the other end of the yard.

"Huh," the ginger muttered to herself, checking the door to the house. Locked.

With a small shrug of acceptance, the redhead made her way out of the throng of cats, making sure not to step on any tails as she went back towards the Eastern Gate.

Ash Telma had said, Chain saw the _Rusty Kettle_ almost immediately. Though it was a tall building that was made of faded wood planks that looked like they would come loose at any second, the bright bronze tea kettle chained to the sign caught the eye of any and all who passed.

Pushing open the creaky door, it didn't take long for the girl's eyes to adjust—the windows lining the front of the inn were open wide, letting in a comfortable breeze and a steady stream of light.

"Hey," Chain walked up the landlord at the front desk, trying her best to water down her typically rough tone. "Where's Link staying?"

"Link?" The man wrinkled his brow for a second, trying to pinpoint where he knew that name from. "You mean that blonde kid with the weird hat?"

Chain nodded, a smirk playing at the corners of her mouth. "Yeah. Room number?"

"Two-oh-two," the landlord gestured towards the rickety stairs that laid against the far wall. "First door on the right."

"Thanks," the ginger turned to walk up the stairs.

"Wait—" The innkeeper's voice stopped her halfway up the steps. "You're not from here, are you?"

Chain cringed, turning her head to look him in the eye. "No…" She got ready to run.

"Oh, all right," the man gave her a bright smile. "That's what I thought. Welcome to Hyrule!"

The redhead nodded slowly, waiting for her blood to thaw before she continued up the steps.

"Th—thanks," she managed before she darted to the upper hallway. The town folk here were so different from the people in the rest of Hyrule. "Welcome to Hyrule," he'd said. Yes, that was definitely the best welcome she'd received so far.

Room 202 was identified by messily painted runes on the rough-hewn wood, and shards of the paint flaked off when Chain pounded on it with her calloused ivory knuckle.

" _LINK!"_ She yelled, banging on the door. No answer—the inside of the room was as quiet as the rest of the inn. With an annoyed sigh, Chain shaved the door open, letting herself into the dorm.

Link obviously hadn't been awake in there long enough to get it messy—the only thing out of place was his sword and shield, which had been propped up against the far wall. Sunlight streamed through the window the same as it did the rest of the motel, illuminating the snoring forme of Link, who laid fast asleep in the bed.

Grinning to herself, Chain pulled up a chair in the darkest corner of the room, as far away from the window as she possibly could. She hadn't known Link for that long, but, according to Talo and Malo, this was typical Link behavior.

So there she sat, though she didn't know how long. Soon enough, however, Link began to stir, stretching his arms high above his head and groggily grabbing for his hat as it slipped off his head.

 _Where…_ he looked around the room, confused. _I don't remember coming here…_

The hero looked down and saw his weapon dented shield laid gently against the wall.

 _Telma,_ a golden bug lit up in his brain as he realized what had happened. Only she seemed to treat his gear like it should be treated.

"Up already?" A voice drenched with sarcasm caught his attention, and his head immediately turned to the intruder.

"You really do like to sleep in, don't you?" Chain raised an eyebrow at him from the far corner, where she was sitting comfortably in a chair.

"How long…?" Link stared at the girl awkwardly, not exactly wanting to finish the phrase.

Chain's answer was a dismissive shrug. "Don't really care. Now to business?"

"Uh—yeah." Link pushed himself to his feet, running his long fingers through his hair as he went to retrieve his hat. "The Poe?"

Chain nodded. "You know where it might be…?"

" _Well,_ " Link cracked his knuckles and sat down on the edge of the bed. "We saw it go towards Lake Hylia, so it might be somewhere in the Zora's Domain—which would be good for us, because I can basically go wherever I want over there."

Chain nodded along. "Uh- _huh_."

"But then it might have also taken the tunnel to Snowpeak, so we'd have to get some furs and the like."

Chain's eyes grew glassy. "Uh- _huh_."

" _Or_ it could've just circled back to where we found it, which means it could eb _anywhere_ in Hyrule Field, plus Kakariko and Ordon."

"Uh- _huh_."

Link sighed. "Chain, are you even listening?"

"Uh- _huh_."

"That's what I thought."

Chain snapped back into focus, sunset eyes narrowing. "So is there a point to all this?"

Link laid his head in his hands, letting out a soft moan. All this thinking was giving him a headache, and Chain wasn't exactly the most easy person to be around.

"My _point_ is," he peered up at Chain, "we need more information than we already have, and I'm fresh out of ideas. I don't suppose _you_ know anything that might help, eh?"

Chain waved her hand indifferently, ignoring nay signs of annoyance Link was showing. "Nah, none of those. But I do have a question."

With a loud, harsh groan, Link fell back on his bed and stared at the ceiling.

"Fire away," he let out a breath of resignation.

"Right," Chain leaned back in her chair and stared out the window. "What's with all the cats in this place?"

"What?" Link looked up at her curiously.

"Well, there are a lot of them, for one thing. Maybe two for every person I see—that's a pretty weird cat ratio, don't you think? Also, they all gather in this one yard, and the house is locked up tight. That's pretty crazy, too."

"Cats…" Link muttered under his breath, sitting back up. "Cats…" His eyes slowly widened as he repeated the word. "Cats. _Cats_!"

"Yeah, _cats,"_ Chain could only stare at the golden-haired teen in front of her. "You allergic or something?"

"No, no," Link shook his head, leaping to his feet and pacing around the room. "When I was… _travelling_ about a year ago, I met up with this guy who'd turned to gold—by selling his soul to Poes! That's the guy who owns the house all the cats come to. I managed to turn him back by collecting those things' souls, and he's never gone outside since—sends his cat to fetch groceries for him, I hear."

"So… you're saying…" Chain's eyes lit up.

"He can give us the information we need!"

Link smiled for the first time that day.


	13. Jovani's Mistake

Jovani's Mistake

"You sure this guy can help us out?" Chain raised an eyebrow skeptically at the run-down house as yet another cat brushed against her legs. The house looked different at night—sketchier, more claustrophobic. It didn't look like the kind of house that would yield much information.

Link didn't answer in words; a small shrug was sufficient. Chain huffed and rolled her eyes.

"Of course. Then why are we here at night?"

This time Link spoke, his voice a soft whisper. "If people see us going to this place, they'll think something's up, and we'll get a _lot_ more attention than we need. Remember, we're trying to keep you a _secret_ until we find out what's going on—the last thing we need is to be run out of _here_ , too."

Chain crossed her arms, glaring at the rotting door with her flashing amber eyes.

" _Fine._ But I'm keeping an eye out for anything weird, alright?"

Link nodded once. "Be my guest."

"One more thing," the ginger's eyes narrowed. "Why did this guy even _want_ gold? That's not even Hyrule's currency!"

Link took a step back, hands held up defensively. "Don't ask me! All we need is information, but not _that_ much. Let's just go."

"All right." Chain's voice was a soft hiss in the darkness. A nearby cat stared up at her, tail fluffed up protectively.

They crept through the throng of cats, trying their best not to accidentally kick any, until they reached the door. Link crouched down inspecting the handle.

"Looks like gold," he muttered to himself, scratching bit of the soft metal with the sharp edge of a pebble. "But it's a thin coating with a wooden interior. There's a bit of mold or something growing on it, so I'd say no one's even _tried_ to come in here for a while."

" _Hmph,"_ Chain nodded, a slight smile forming on her pale face. "Impressive. Let me have a try."

Bending down next to Link, she gave the metal a good sniff. "The locking device on the inside's molding, too. Since it's wood, it probably won't survive a good kick. It'd probably crumble away if I stuck a lock pick in there, too—if we want to be more discreet, that is. Also, there's the faint scent of copper in the metal. If I can smell it, then this is only _barely_ pure enough to be _called_ gold. So this guy wants the come across as richer than he is."

"So that's why he wanted that gold from the Poes." Link rubbed his head. "He's greedy and insecure, not to mention stupid. That should be to our advantage."

"Yeah," Chain grinned toothily, her fangs gleaming in the light. "I'll get to work on that lock."

In an instant, she had a long, thin wire in her hand and was jiggling it around in the doorknob until she didn't meet any resistance. Link look on, surprised.

 _I didn't know she had a lock pick,_ he laughed inwardly. _Guess she's not as reckless as I thought—she came prepared!_

"Got it," Chain stood up and stuck the lock pick back into her pocket in one fluid motion, nodding for link to open the door.

"You know what you want to say," she poked the decaying wood with a long, slender finger, watching as it sunk into itself. "Go say it. I'll be waiting just inside if you need me to kick him or something."

Link didn't say anything, settling with a deep breath and a slight nod before he reached for the door, pushing it open with a light shove.

It turned out the knob wasn't the only thing that was rotting. As the door swung in, the hinges made a few ominous creaks before they failed altogether, leaving the door to fall onto the hard wooden ground with a resounding _crash!_ that left the following silence even quieter.

"So much for being discreet," Chain muttered, and Link cursed under his breath.

"Who—?" A sharp, high-pitched voice squeaked from a nearby hallway. Link's gaze shot in that direction, piercing through the shadows to see a dark forme huddled in the corner.

"Jovani," Link's eyes narrowed, thin slits of ice that seemed to glow in the darkness. The silhouette jumped back, finding refuge in the pitch black.

"Wh—Who are you…?" His shaky voice was hardly more than a breath, but Link could hear it just fine. He hated this man, how he'd been so _stupid_. Now the hero was forced to come back to this place that reminded him so much of what had happened long ago, and this did nothing but _add_ to the disgust.

"Wait…" Jovani edged forward a bit, his pale, thin features touching the scant light of the moon. "Those eyes…" The fool leaned in closer, examining Link's face in hushed surprise. "Those feral eyes the colour of a Poe's fire… I know those eyes…"

Jovani came further into the pale wash of light, showing his messy clothes and unkempt hair, his scared, thin eyes.

"…Doggie?"

Link clenched his fist, opening his mouth in a silent growl.

"I'm not a dog," he hissed. Jovani took a quick step back, holding up his hands. Laughing nervously, he tried to calm the teen down.

"Of course you're not!" The man kept his distance from the boy, not really knowing what else to do. "Now… why did you come here?"

Link took a few deep breaths, letting them do their work before he answered. "We need some information."

"Information?" Jovani laughed his squeaky, rat-like laugh. "what information could I _possibly_ …" His voice trailed off as realization hit him like a bomb arrow.

"Poes," Link voiced the man's thoughts in a rough monotone.

The house was silent for a moment, with nothing but the soft padding of cat paws to be heard.

"P—Poes…?" Jovani froze up, thin eyes widening with fear. "I… I'm sorry, I can't help you, doggie—"

The fool's words were cut off by Links hand at his throat.

" _Don't call me that!"_ The hero exploded, shoving the small man back and pinning him to the wall. The rotting wood sunk in beneath the force of Jovani's impact, and Chain could hear ominous cracking sounds echo throughout the house as she looked on.

"Wh—what?" Jovani stuttered, sweat pouring down his face in waterfalls, "I told you, doggie, I—"

"I _said,"_ Link's voice was a thundering roar, making even Chain take a shocked step back, " _Don't call me a dog!"_

The golden-haired teen could feel the unpleasant memories pushing at his mental barriers at the sound of the hated name. He let out a guttural war cry, pushing Jovani further into the wall.

"But you _are_ —"

" _NO!"_ Link screamed, letting his white-knuckled fist fly. He punched the idiot again and again, not even seeming to notice what he was doing.

" _I'M NOT A DOG!"_ Fist met flesh, and the flesh split in scarlet streaks, the blood flying in arcing spurts of crimson that shone brightly in the light.

Looking on, Chain could see it. That feral gleam in Link's eye was real, and it was prominent. There was something wild about this boy, something untamed and chaotic. She knew it and felt it—she had that something, too. But this was different. This wasn't just warlike savagery. This was a _beast_ inside, one that boy had tried to keep hidden for so long.

" _ARE YOU GOING TO TELL US ANYTHING?"_ Link yelled, pushing the man up higher on the wall. " _ARE YOU?_ "

Jovani's face was cast down, a bloody lump of tears and sweat. He said nothing, earning him another hard punch. Link leaned in close, forcing the fool to look him in the eyes.

"Well?" The harsh whisper was far scarier than anything else., promising much worse than anything a Poe could do. Jovani broke.

His shaking cry was soft, especially compared to the cacophony before. It was only two words, choked out through bloody tears that ran down the man's face and spread the scarlet dye to the rest of his body. But it was enough.

 _Arbiter's Grounds,"_ the terrified voice managed, hoping against hope he could be free. Jovani squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to look into those desolate eyes any more than he had to.

To his surprise, however, he felt himself being lowered to the ground, the grip around his throat loosening, and then withdrawing altogether.

He looked up to see the man in green standing above him, the moon casting a ghostly halo around his features and emphasizing the cold aura that was flowing from him.

"Thanks you for your time," Link nodded once before turning his back on the stupid little man. "We'll be going now."

He strode out the door, leaving the young woman who had been hovering just inside the whole time to follow close behind.

When they were safely out of earshot, Chain spoke, her voice low and dry.

"I guess you didn't need my help after all," she spoke, the smirk evident in her words but missing from her features.

"Yeah," Link sighed, hands shaking. "I guess I didn't."


	14. Ambushed

Ambushed

The next morning met Link wide awake, lying in his bed, trying his best to get some rest. He was exhausted—he hadn't slept at all since he and Chain had parted ways last night and headed off to their respective accommodations.

 _I can't believe I did that to Jovani…_ he thought, his body still shaking—either from fear or the long-lasting adrenaline, he didn't know which.

 _"Doggie", eh?_ He tried to force out a laugh, hoping it would help calm him down. It came out as a strange mix between a growl and pained yelp instead. _Hard to believe one little word could trigger something like that._

He reminisced to what had taken place mere hours ago, but what felt more like days. It had been so _satisfying_ to feel his solid fist connect with the weak resistance that was Jovani's flesh, feeling the greedy little recluse's blood seep through his knuckles to stain his hands.

Doggie. Yes, it seemed like an insignificant word, but it had triggered so many of the memories he wanted to keep hidden. _She'd_ called him that nickname many a time, he knew—but the thought of her, what she used to be to him, was painful, so painful. He'd locked them far away for a reason, and the only way he knew of to make them stop coming was to stop the source of that stupid trigger word. Doggie.

"Hey."

Link shot up immediately at the sound of a third party—he'd been so absorbed with his thoughts and his memories, he hadn't noticed another one walk into the small, shabby room.

The light was still faint—the sun hadn't fully risen yet—but by the long orange hair and the pale white skin, there was no doubt it was Chain.

"Wh—What do you want?" He stuttered in surprise. Chain raised an eyebrow at the boy, pulling up a chair and sitting in the corner.

"You're shaken up," she stated simply, "I can tell. You never stutter, you know. Just like you never snap like you did back at Jovani's place. I guess things like that just follow after each other, yeah?"

She rubbed her face roughly with her pale hands, thick strands of hair hiding the rest of her face and eyes. Link opened his mouth to say something, but she beat him to it.

"I couldn't sleep either," she muttered. "And no, it's not your fault. I just feel like a burden, you know? You must be pretty into this whole 'finding my memories' thing if you're willing to beat up people like that. I guess it's more my fault than anyone's."

She paused, cracking her fingers open to let one amber eye shine through.

"Telma told me, you know," she continued, her voice a rough monotone. "Not much—I expect only you know the details. But she told me about the Twilight a year ago. How you were the only one that could stop it—and you did, it seems. Also… how you were never the same afterwards. She said you locked up all the memories that came with Twilight in you mental Vault. I guess… it looks like I'm forcing you to remember some of that, aren't I?"

Link didn't know what to say to that. It was true, but that _definitely_ wasn't the right things to say. So instead of speaking, he stayed silent, like he usually did around other people. It had worked out decent enough so far. But still…

"No," Link let out a shaky sigh, forcing his exhausted body to sit up as he went back to the root of the conversation. "I don't know who's fault all this is, but it's not ours. Wherever you came from, I'm sure there's someone responsible there."

"I'm sure," Chain let out a short bark of a laugh, letting her fangs catch the light and remind the blonde that she wasn't human. Whatever she was, it was far from human—the blood, the fangs, the mysterious power… whatever she was, it was _very_ far from human.

" _Whelp_ ," Chain pushed herself up, her heavy breath showing in her words, "that was a nice little chat. But, unfortunately, that's not what I came here for."

" _What?_ " Link stood up, not exactly angry, but more than a little irritated— _goddesses_ , Chain got on his nerves! "Then why are you here?" He demanded, feeling himself begin to wake up.

"Telma says we should probably be going now. I told her all about what happened—you're welcome—so no awkward explanation for you, and she wants to give us some stuff for wherever we're going."

Link sighed. It was still so early…

"All right," he muttered, running a hand through his messy golden hair before sticking his cap on his head and strapping on his sword and shield—the chain mail and the rest of his armor could wait until he got to Telma's Bar. "Let's get going, then."

The streets of Castle Town were empty except for the few guards that patrolled the grounds, dismissing Link and Chain with little more than a nod. It was a common misconception that all the soldiers were cowards, but that wasn't entirely true. The ones that patrolled at night and stood guard during the day were the few brave ones left—though, one would have to keep in mind that standing guard and lazing about were two completely different things.

The roads were washed in that pale, pre-dawn light that never ceased to fill Link with a sudden peace, an utter serenity that somehow managed to coexist with the following flush of determination. Chain seemed to be enjoying it as well as she strolled down the streets, but with an unexplainable sense of disappointment as the sun began to rise.

"Here we are," Link whispered softly to himself as they neared the little side alley that led to the bar. _I wonder what she'll say,_ he added inwardly, but decided it was probably best not to dwell on things like that.

" _Ugh_ ," Chain rolled her eyes, prodding the teen in the back impatiently. "I'd like to get inside _before_ nightfall, Link."

"Right," he laughed softly. Chain knew how to drive him crazy sometimes, but it was a great way to help lighten the mood if she used her sarcasm right—and she knew it.

As he pushed through the small door, the warm light of the bar hit him like a bomb, a sharp contrast to the dim, blue-white morning he'd gotten used to. Telma, however, hit him even harder.

"Link!" She beamed, sweeping him off into the tavern before his eyes had fully adjusted, "Great to see you—I fixed you some breakfast so you'd have some energy for your journey, you know." Link finally regained his sight as he was swept along, but nothing seemed to make sense—everything was a psychedelic blur of temperature and colour, and as he was seated by the motherly bartender, all he was really capable of offering was a confused blink.

Out of the corner of his eye, the young hero could see Chain still standing in the doorway, an amused smile on her face. She walking slowly in after Link, bending down to give Telma's cat a gentle rub behind the ears.

The next thing Link knew, there was a plate in front of him, piled high with steaming bacon and eggs, a thick, grainy soup topped with melting butter, and several warm biscuits. Though, to be honest, the smell was what really made him aware of all this—his eyes were distant and jaded, and he didn't seem to be looking anywhere in particular.

Link blinked several times, his pupils dilating a bit before he could think again.

 _Chain said she told Telma…_ his thoughts were still a bit sluggish, and he rubbed at his eyes absentmindedly. _I expected a reaction, but not… not this._

"You need anything else, Honey?" Telma flew by Link again, putting a similar platter in front of Chain, who had seated herself. "Milk, or some spring water? I hear there's a vendor nearby—never liked the stuff myself, but I figured _you_ …"

Her words faded away, and Link retreated back to his mind palace. _Is she trying to make up for what happened?_ He asked himself, still confused. _But she didn't have anything to do with…_

"Ugh, you _idiot,_ " Chain sighed, a bright smile spreading across her features as she read Link's dumbfounded expression. "Of _course_ she feels responsible, if only because you're in her care and were forced to do what you did last night. I don't mean to state the obvious, but she's basically your mother. I'm sure you've noticed—she doesn't want to put you through anything bad or painful, so she's trying to make up for not doing something to get Jovani to 'fess up. It's obvious."

"Not… not really." Link shook his head slowly, returning to his senses. _Must be a girl thing,_ he thought as he took a bite of bacon. _Mmmm… bacon._

"Here's that spring water," Telma whipped by again, setting a jar of the clear liquid in front of the boy. With a grateful smile, he took a gulp of the water, tasting the minerals and feeling himself wake up. The water was still warm—the vendor must've gotten a fresh barrel today—and Link could feel said warmth flowing through his aching nerves and tendons until he felt like a new person. Man, he loved this stuff.

"What's that?" Chain asked, pointing at the jar curiously. Link handed her the container, enlightening her.

"Spring water, eh?" She gave it a suspicious sniff. With a crooked shrug, she took a gulp, just like she'd seen Link do. Chain screwed up her face, forcing herself to swallow before bursting into a fit of coughs.

" _Blech,_ " she gagged, trying to get the taste off her tongue. "Tastes like dirt."

"It's _supposed_ to be good for you," Link sighed, rolling his eyes. Sometimes he felt like the only mature person in Hyrule—sad, considering he was almost eighteen.

"You can have your healthy mud back," Chain ignored him, deciding to tear into some of her own bacon.

It didn't take long for the two to finish their breakfast, considering they were two starving, sleep-deprived teens. Telma had been watching them, waiting for them to go before opening up the tavern. It's not like people would be out this early, anyways—the sun was still just a golden sliver peeking above the distant mountains, and it's not like anyone in this town had anything to do in the wee hours of the morning.

"So you're done?" She asked, not even waiting for an answer before clearing their clean plates. "I hope that gave you some of your energy back—you both looked like Stalfos, you were so dead to the world!"

" _Heheh,"_ Link rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. If that was what a Stalfos felt like, he was glad he wasn't one. "We'd better be off, then," he made as if to stand, but Telma straightened up, her expression growing serious again.

"Wait," she said, her voice hard and grim. "I have something." Rummaging through a pocket on her skirt, she pulled out a tangled mess of herbs, holding it out to Chain.

"I made this specially for you," she offered the herbs with a soft smile. "If you feel you need it, it should help you keep your consciousness if you want to fight. Though I hope the need won't arise for you two to fight, it usually does." She sighed softly, letting her gaze drift to the ground. "It's not much, but it's the best I could possibly give you. I wish I could do more."

Chain shot Link a glance, one that felt like daggers being shot at him.

 _What?_ He mouthed, slightly offended. It wasn't like this was _his_ fault…

 _Say something!_ Chain demanded silently, her amber eyes flashing. Link nodded, hiding a smile. Yeah, that was probably the best thing to do—and he wanted to say something to the bartender. He just didn't know what.

"Telma…" he began, hoping the right words would come to him as he spoke. "You've already done so much. The be honest, you've actually helped the _most_ , out of all the people we've run into so far."

Chain nodded slightly. That was definitely true.

"I couldn't ask you to do any more," the blonde continued, putting a hand on the woman's broad shoulder, "and I can't thank you enough. Really." He looked into Telma's eyes, hoping she'd see how much more he wanted to say, but couldn't find the words to express.

"Thanks, Honey," Telma clasped his hand gently, the beginnings of a smile forming on her face. She pushed it out, however, replacing it with a scowl.

"What am I _doing?_ " She took a step back, smacking herself lightly on the side of her head. "This was supposed to be a serious moment!"

Link and Chain grinned brightly at the woman, who managed to keep a straight face—though barely.

"Now go on!" She cried out, pushing them towards the doorway, "Shoo! Go find this poor girl's memory, do hero things!" She shoved them outside, beginning to lose her composure. "Don't talk to strangers! Always eat your vegetables! Don't open an umbrella inside! No petting wild animals! Always tell the truth, unless it's to the palace guards! Don't forget to floss!"

Link and Chain managed to hold out a bit longer than Telma had, forcing themselves to walk around the corner before letting loose their laughter. Telma's eyes turned sad as she gazed after them, though her smile didn't fade.

"And be safe!" She added, standing in the doorway long after she knew they'd left. Ahead of her, the sun rose all the way above the mountains, promising good things.

The sun was a liar.

"You let your horse roam while you're gone?" Chain wrinkled her brow when she saw Epona grazing in the field just outside the Eastern Gate.

"Yep," Link nodded once, striding towards the mare.

"Where there are monsters?"

"Yep."

"And thieves?"

"Yep."

"Well… well what if she runs off?"

"Then I call her back with this," Link held up a grass charm, blowing a short melody into it. Epona pricked her ears, turning her head to face him, and began to canter slowly towards her friend.

"What if someone steals her?"

"She can take care of herself."

Chain opened her mouth to ask another question, but Link cut her off.

"Yes, the same applies for if a monster attacks her."

Chain rolled her eyes, muttering something under her breath. Link allowed himself a small smile as Epona trotted up, stroking her gently and picking some grass out of her mane. Chain looked on as he whispered something into the horse's ear, deciding this was all a bit too weird for her.

Link pulled a bright red apple out of his bag, holding it loosely towards the mare. Epona whinnied in delight, eating up the fruit in several quick bites. Grass was okay, but Link sure knew how to reward her every once in a while.

"Okay, this is sweet and all," Chain gave Epona a little pat, "but can we get going? I kinda want to know who I am and stuff."

Link laughed, feeling oddly at ease. "All right. Hop on."

The two teens swung themselves onto the roan-and-white horse, their determination growing like a fungus. Epona was spurred into action with a loud " _Hya!_ ", galloping off towards where they'd seen the Poe disappear.

" _So where is this 'Arbiter's Grounds' place, anyways_?" Chain yelled over the wind that rushed past their ears, gripping Link's shoulders tightly.

" _In the desert_ ," the hero replied, equally loud, " _you'll know it when you see it._ "

"Uh- _huh_ ," Chain hissed uncertainly. That made it sound a bit _too_ foreboding. Lucky for her, she didn't have much more time to dwell on that. Unlucky for stranger, swordsman and steed, it was because of a flame-tipped arrow that hit Epona on the hind leg.

Another lucky moment—it only grazed her, but it was enough to make her rear up, eyes wide with shock and fear.

"Whoa!" Link shouted, trying to calm her down, but it was all in vain. Both he and Chain were thrown off, landing in a heap on the dew-laden grass.

"Where…" Chain groaned, rubbing her head, "where did that come from?!"

Link was still, his heart beating fast. He knew all too well where it came from.

"Bulbins," he hissed, grasping the hilt of his sword.

"Excuse me?" The redhead stared at the hero, not sure if he was serious, or if he just had a concussion.

Without another moment's hesitation, Link leapt up, hauling Chain with him. Sure enough, they were surrounded by a loose circle of the green-skinned creatures—enough to fight their way out of if there hadn't been more running down the rolling slopes of Hyrule Field.

Link yelled his war cry, drawing his sword and swinging it towards the nearest beast. It let out a high-pitched screech before it fell backward, not to make another sound.

That prodded the others into action, shooting their arrows and brandishing their clubs in the air as they advanced in the duo. Chain was stunned, barely moving out of the way of a fiery arrow in time through her astonishment.

"Hey!" She raised her fist, slamming it hard into the fleshy neck of a nearby monster. It fell back with a gurgling shriek, sending another down with it. Still, they kept on coming, not giving the ginger enough respite in between waves to bring out her herbs, much less use them. Link was fighting just as hard, but he was faring much better, if only because of his sword. He focused only on hacking and slicing at the rot-coloured monsters in front of him, trying his best to not be overwhelmed.

A pained cry from behind him, and he knew Chain had been brought down. Bulbins were little more than a nuisance by themselves, but when they came in swarms, they could be deadly.

That being said, it was a grand total of four seconds before Link felt a heavy fist land a blow on the back of his head.

The golden-haired teen crumpled to the ground, his lights dimming fast. The last thing he saw was Chain's limp body laying sprawled out just in front of him before he was given over to unconsciousness.


	15. Madness

Madness

Chain didn't realize she was awake until the sun made its way directly above her face, forcing its way into her vision and cracking her eyelids open. She knew better than to make any sounds—it didn't take very long for her to remember what had happened. With her eyes barely open, she took in her surroundings, trying her best to find anything that could help.

She was tied to a rough wooden post, just across from a line of two-storied buildings built from weathered wood planks. To her right, two rows of the buildings went on for a ways before stopping abruptly and leaving the terrain of sand and stone to take over. To her left was a squat little house, boarded up and beaten down, seemingly abandoned.

 _A ghost town,_ she thought, scanning the rooftops above, _hidden in the side of a mountain._

She hissed sharply when she saw Link tied up to a pole just across from her, but the wind that whistled through the mountain was just loud enough to cover it up. The teen was bleeding from several wounds on his head and torso, and dust from the surrounding area was covering his body so that he was hardly discernable from the ground below him. His head was hanging low, and his deep, even breaths told Chain he was still unconscious.

And of course, there were Bulbins everywhere. They patrolled the area unceasingly, keeping close watch on their prisoners. Chain closed her eyes again, feigning sleep. There had to be some way out of this—maybe if Link woke up, he'd have an idea where they were. Then, of course, he'd be able to fight these guys, and—

Chain mentally slapped herself.

 _Idiot!_ She thought, remembering the herbs Telma had given her. _I can fight now! Those herbs are in my pocket, so if I can just get them…_

She cracked her eyes open again at a sudden cry from above. One of the Bulbins on the balcony was peeking down, eyes wide, pointing wildly at Link. The golden-haired teen was considerably more hurt than she was, so an involuntary moan escaped him as he began to regain consciousness.

 _Dang it,_ Chain poked around a pocket with her long fingers, bringing out the messy tangle of medicine and flinging it into her lap. In front of her, she could see Link trying to crack his eyes open, but they were glued shut with blood. The Bulbins around the two began to take notice and made their way over, weapons drawn.

Abandoning all stealth, Chain lurched over, desperately trying to reach the panacea before the monsters came. The Bulbins began to hurry, sounding out their war cry and waving their weapons above their heads. The serrated edges of the primitive swords they carried glinted evilly in the light of the sun, prodding Chain to work that much faster.

Once she reached the herbs, one bite was all it took.

Link couldn't help but moan as the throbbing in his head grew harder and harder. He tried to pry his eyes open, but the blood from his wounds had dripped over them and glued them shut. He winced at the noises all around him, the shrieks of Bulbins and the sounds of their weapons clanging together overpowering his senses.

 _I hope Chain's all right,_ he thought, finally managing to force his eyes open. His eyes didn't even have time to adjust to the sudden brightness of noon before the world was plunged into shadow, and everything went cold.

Chain felt the power flowing through her as soon as she swallowed the herbs, Whatever Telma had put in there, it was working. The Bulbins were still coming, but that was their own mistake. It was like something inside her had been switched on, but she didn't know how to work this newfound power. Chain looked up at the sky through narrowed eyes, hardy aware of what she was doing. The sun beat down, seeming once again to jeer at her, and the ropes around her wrists dug into her flesh. This was no way to fight, Chain thought in a slight daze.

The cords snapped easily at the same time as the sun went out. Shadow seemed to leak from the girl, flowing out until it covered everything in view. The Bulbins froze, petrified. Chain pushed herself slowly to her feet, a dull sense of anger pulsing in the back of her head. These monsters were nothing to her. Nothing but food for the worms.

Link jerked back, seeing the darkness radiate out from a point just in front of him like ink spilling from an inkwell. Breathing hard, he tugged at his bindings, trying to get away. If there was one think he knew at the moment, it was that he had to get away.

Ahead of him, he saw a figure begin to rise, shrouded in a menacing aura as it grew taller. It was shaped vaguely like a human, with ashy skin that was black as pitch and a long auburn mane streaming behind it. It looked up at the Bulbins that surrounded it with large eyes that glowed scarlet like fire. A strange pattern ran up the monster's left side, a familiar, geometric pattern that shot its way up like blue lightning.

Link saw the shadow pulsing from the being run towards him, now mere inches away. He scrambled back, pushing himself up against the pole he was tied to, eyeing it warily. His breaths came out in heavy gasps, seeming to stick in his throat and stay there, just as afraid of the shadow as he was.

 _No,_ he thought as it brushed up against him, _not shadow…_

 _Twilight._

And then he was gone.

Chain looked down at her hands, turning them around and examining them numbly, like a sleepwalker who was remembering something they shouldn't. The Bulbins were beginning to recover, and that was the real problem.

 _I can fight_ , she thought slowly, positioning her hands in her now-familiar fighting stance. _Now I can fight…_

Right hand palm-up, left hand palm-down. A surge of power shot up her spine, through her arms and into her hand. As she watched, a large, black staff began to materialize, ending in a wickedly sharp double-sided axe head on one end and a thin blade on the other. The whole weapon emitted a sort of black ash that floated from it and evaporated into the atmosphere.

Chain smirked, fingering the battleaxe fondly. This felt right. Now those Bulbins were dead meat.

His arms and legs were shrinking, the joints popping sickeningly as they moved. He felt the fur begin to grow as it had a year ago, and his ears moved upward and grew pointed. He was out of his bindings now—they were made to hold a human, not a wolf.

Link growled heavily, feeling the familiar weight of the broken chain on his paw. He looked up at the monster in front of him, just in time to duck below the swing of a razor-sharp battleaxe.

The ashen creature swung it in a deadly arc, catching two Bulbins by the neck and separating them from their heads. The remains evaporated in a small plume of charcoal smoke that dispersed into the thick, hazy air of Twilight. Another huge swing, and another Bulbin went down.

The smoky wolf-Link narrowed his eyes, taking another cautious step back. This…this thing… it wasn't heading for him. It didn't even seem to realize he was there. Usually, powerful monsters like this automatically went straight for him—though they usually had one eye or a messed-up physique.

 _Hey…_ Link laid back his ears, breathing hard as he scanned the rest of the landscape. _Where's Chain?_

Chain raised the huge weapon over her head, not straining at all to hold it, though it was twice her height. Like chopping wood, she slid her right hand down to meet her left, bringing the axe down on top of another Bulbin in one swift motion. A loud cry from behind her, and she saw several more of the monsters running up.

She yanked the blade out of the ground and jabbed the butt forward, subconsciously manipulating the swirling cinders of shadow to collect and make the spear part longer. The sharp end speared through two Bulbins, the dark point piercing through the last one covered in sticky green blood.

Chain turned her head to see three more spread out on her other side, brandishing their weapons obliviously. With a loud hiss of a sigh, she sent the axe side flying again, cutting through the Bulbins like butter while the two corpses were still impaled on the other end. She narrowed her eyes at the bodies, pulling the spiked end over her head like a catapult and sending them flying. A quick look from around, and Chain ran a charcoal hand through her sunset-coloured hair—the Bulbins were gone. Now all that was left was to find Link.

A small noise from the other row of buildings, and Chain snapped her head in that direction. There, looking at her with huge sapphire eyes, was a wolf.

 _Hmm…_ Chain shrugged slightly. _That wasn't here before…_

She almost turned and walked away, but froze in the act. Those eyes... she whirled around and stared at the wolf, long and hard. Those eyes were unmistakable.

"Link?"

Link watched, not moving at all as the monster dispatched of the remaining Bulbins in seconds. He didn't know what this thing was, but it was _definitely_ dangerous. He had to find Chain and go soon, or his luck would run out. Not only that, but he could already feel the Twilight getting to him. If he didn't get out of this soon… he might just go insane.

The monster looked around, gazing at its surroundings before its stare fell on Link. The fiery eyes flashed, and the hero pawed at the ground, getting ready to fight. A fluid stream of syllables fell out of the being's mouth that must have been some strange language. It rested the battleaxe on its shoulder, and the wolf-boy hardly had time to react before the creature started moving towards him, stepping past the remains of its victims with cold indifference.

The wolf edged back, his tail bristling and hackles rising, but his mind desperately trying to come up with an outcome where he would survive. Something hard slammed against his back—a wall.

Link pushed himself up against the barrier, leaning away from the creature as it kept on its steady gait. It seemed confused at his reaction for a moment, before waving an ink-black hand in the air and sending its axe off to some other plane in a burst of shadow ash. The monster bent down, eyes wide as they searched wolf-Link's face. It reached out with a dark, slender hand.

The blue marking on the being's side flashed brightly before the shadow retracted back into the beast and the sun came back on as if nothing had happened. The wolf began to howl, the sound continuing as a pained scream when Link morphed back into himself.

 _"No,"_ he gasped desperately for air, pressing as far into the wall as he could. " _It won't stop—it keeps coming…"_

Sweat ran down his face, mixing with tears.

" _I can't get it out…"_

The charcoal monster in front of him froze, its hand inches away from Link's face. The blackness faded into startling white, and the eyes dimmed to a dull russet. Chain was in the place of the beast, looking on Link with alarm showing plainly in her features.

Without another thought, she reached forward again, brushing aside some of Link's hair to reveal a long, thick wound still oozing with blood. He winced, pulling away and squeezing his eyes shut.

" _It's just like the Twilight,"_ he shuddered violently, trying to push away from the girl, " _it's just like the Twilight…"_

"What?" Chain pulled back a bit, watching Link look back up at her with genuine terror showing in his eyes. "No—wait—"

" _I can't get it out…"_ Link tore at his hair, crying out as he scratched at a wound. " _They won't go…"_

"Link!" Chain grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing him to look her in the eye. "Link, calm down!"

" _I couldn't stop her,"_ he muttered, eyes wide, " _I couldn't stop any of it… I could only try to save them…"_

Link let out another sharp cry of pain, though Chain felt like it wasn't from any of his wounds.

 _"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry…"_ the boy muttered under his breath, being taken over by violent spasms. " _I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry…"_

Heart racing, Chain tightened her grip on the boy's shoulders, trying to help him. In a last ditch-effort to comfort the hero, she pulled him close, embracing him tightly to steady him. Link yelped, struggling against her with panicked breathing and sharp movements.

" _Help…"_ he murmured weakly. " _Help…"_

Chain pulled him tighter, forcing herself to hold back tears. She would be the anchor for both of them now. She had to.

Eventually, Link settled down, going limp and laying his head on the ginger's shoulder.

" _it's just like the Twilight,"_ he mumbled, his voice hardly audible anymore. " _Just like it…"_

Soon, he stopped altogether. Chain took a shaky breath, gently letting go and beginning to rest the Hylian in the shade. He murmured softly at the sudden darkness, writhing at the cold feeling.

Panicking slightly, Chain edged out and let him lie in the sunlight—which made him relax, somewhat. Letting go and edging back, she kept a wary eye on the teen, who was caught in an uneasy sleep. Not knowing what else to do, she remembered the way he'd called Epona when they'd just left Castle Town.

 _Epona would help him relax,_ Chain thought, trying to convince herself rather than state a fact as she slipped the charm from around Link's neck and struggled to recall the melody he'd played. _I hope she hears this._

Somehow, Epona did hear the light whistle, trotting up in a matter of minutes. She nickered uneasily when she saw that her friend unconscious, but calmed down at a few soothing words from Chain.

The horse settled down in a nice spot of shade near Link, soon falling asleep. Chain stared at the two of them dully, leaning against a rusty cart and keeping watch.


	16. I'm Fine

I'm Fine

Link woke up when it started to get darker, cracking his eyes open tiredly. _Where am I?_ He looked around, disoriented. _Oh yeah. Hidden Village. Right._

He pushed himself up, feeling Epona's warm body asleep next to him, her breaths slow and heavy as she slept. Just in front of him was Chain, staring morosely at the ground as she perched on the edge of a broken-down wagon.

"Chain?" He muttered, his voice low and hoarse. She jerked up, eyes wide as they rested on him.

"Oh…" She relaxed, letting her gaze drift back down towards the ground. "You're up. How's that wound treating you?"

"Wound?" Link asked, his hand drifting to his forehead, and he started slightly when he realized it was wrapped in cloth. "I don't remember… oh."

All the events from earlier seeped back, and Link remembered how the creature's battleaxe had barely missed him once… well apparently, it hadn't missed at all. Link stared up at Chain, eyes wide.

"That was you, wasn't it?" he asked, astonished. "That… that _thing_?" He threw the word out, for lack of a better one.

Chain nodded slowly. "Yeah." She peered down at him, her eyes seeming to glow in the dark. She expected him to jump up, to call her a freak and to ride off on Epona, never to return. But, to her utter shock, he didn't. He looked her calmly in the eye and said the last thing she ever would have expected him to say.

"I'm sorry," he sighed, sheepishly running a hand through his hair. "I—I freaked out, didn't I?"

Chain froze, just barely managing to nod.

"Yeah, thought so. I almost remember it—not quite, though. It's a weird feeling…" he forced a smile. "But I'm sure you know all about it, huh?"

Chain didn't answer—it's not like she had to. Link sat quietly for a few moments, drawing absentmindedly in the dirt.

"Do you know what PTSD is?" he asked, looking back up as the sun touched the horizon.

"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder," Chain nodded. "Was that what happened?"

Links shrugged. "Something like that, yeah. I don't get how people could think I came out of the Twilight unaffected. The things I've seen, the things I've _done_ —" Link shook his head vigorously. "Not being shaken by what happened last year just isn't possible. After the Twilight left, everyone said I was a hero. That's what they wanted me to be, and I knew I couldn't let them down.

"That's why I cut off my memories. I tried so _hard_ to forget everything that happened, so I could be the hero everyone made me be. What else am I good at? Then, all those memories I held off just flew in, all at once. It _hurt_ , Chain. I couldn't hold up. In a way, going back into the Twilight like that drove me insane—at least for a while."

His words settled down with a cold finality on Chain, who stared down at the golden-haired teen as he spoke. Someone that was made to be the light, holding that much darkness inside him.

"I'm sorry, Chain."

"Hey," Chain leapt down from her perch, noticing how dark it was getting and beginning to start a fire. "Don't be like that. Don't feel responsible for things that aren't your fault. You don't have to be the hero alone, Link." Her face was lit up with a warm orange glow as the fire burst into being. "Not this time."

Link stared at her, somewhat in awe. The last person to actually help him the way Chain did was…

Midna.

The Hylian let out a soft sigh, a happy sigh. The funny thing about names is that they can make someone feel emotion just as much as the actual person can. Now, the name Midna didn't seem to cause Link as much pain as it used to.

"Thanks," Link smiled, peering up at the stars and leaning against Epona.

In the morning, the air was thick with fog, and everything was veiled in white. Link was the first to wake up, squinting in the meager light. The fire had gone out, the charred remains wet with dew. The sun hadn't begun to rise yet, but the blonde Hylian could tell it was about to.

"You ready to start?" Link stood, stretching widely and giving Chain a gentle kick to wake her up.

"Wha—yeah, sure." Chain yawned, cracking an eye open. "Start what?"

"The trip to the Arbiters Grounds, of course," Link gave her an amused look. "What else?"

This woke Chain up.

"Hey, Link," she rose, wiping the dew off her arms and looking her friend in the eye. "You don't have to do this."

"No, Chain, I really do," Link narrowed his eyes into a determined glare. "It's time I got over this crap."

"Hmm." Chain smirked, crossing her arms as she watched Link ready Epona. "I like this change."

The two teens led Epona out of the Hidden Village and found themselves in a gorge of sorts. It all looked a little too weird to Chain, especially when everything was shrouded in fog. There were sudden drops and rocks that rose out of nowhere with the sole purpose of tripping you up and laughing at your pain, but Link seemed to know exactly how to avoid these little annoyances.

Link led Epona through the gorge, heading towards Lake Hylia. The fog hadn't started to clear yet, but he knew this place well enough from his travels, so he didn't worry all that much.

That is, until a light started shining through the mist, just in front of him. Chain stiffened, seeing the blue-ish glow at the same time he did. They both new all too well what it was.

The two froze in their tracks, not daring to move until they had a plan. The Poe hadn't seemed to notice them yet, floating serenely several meters in front of them. Chain glanced over at Link, the question in her eyes obvious.

 _Are you going to fight?_ She tilted her head to one side. Link nodded, and she frowned. _But how can you fight something you can't see?_

Link paled, knowing what the only real solution was.

 _Are you ready?_ Chain narrowed her eyes, preparing to fight. A determined glare from the blonde-haired Hylian said something along the lines of _'Just do it.'_

Not wanting to dwell too much on what was about to happen, Chain focused instead on the Poe, on its calmly swaying body and its lantern that jangled like a wind chime in a breeze that didn't exist.

That eerily familiar power seeped back into her, flowing into her fingertips to forme that jagged battleaxe once again. The girl's skin bled to black like a sudden spill of ink, and her eyes adopted a bright scarlet glow.

Link kept his eyes on the Poe as well, trying to ignore the shadow as it swept back over him. It was cold and suffocating for a moment, before it polarized into nothing more than dusk. Joints popped, fur grew, and the wolf was back.

Wolf Link narrowed his eyes, grinning toothily despite himself. He felt a lot better—pleasant even. But there was still a demon to fight. And fight it he would.

Chain and Link shot each other a quick glance before simultaneously leaping towards the silent forme of the Poe.

Link could see it perfectly now—it was just as lurid as he remembered it to be, which added to his urge for destruction.

Chain swept her axe in a deadly circle around her, flying towards the Poe as the blade swung towards its head. Link darted towards the enemy just a little ways behind his friend, aiming for its chest where he knew its weakness to be.

However, the Poe wasn't as oblivious as they had expected. At the last second, it whirled around with nothing but the sound of its steel lantern chain breaking the stifling silence of Twilight. The demon held out its slender but sturdy scythe, blocking Chain's axe and swinging its legs forward to smack Wolf Link away with its lantern.

Chain locked weapons with the Poe for a moment, growling dangerously. It seemed to mock her, as the Poes always did, and stared blankly back before the Twilight girl pushed away. Link was on the ground below the two, shaking his head in a very annoyed manner before jumping back up to the two hovering beings.

Chain flew backwards, making room for Link to leap up and snap at the demon's chest, but the Poe was intelligent enough to see the attack coming and dodge. As the wolf grudgingly let gravity do its job and pull him back down, Chain took another swing at the incandescent monster, this time barely managing to graze its side before it flew out of harm's way, shooting her an almost reproachful look.

Not even bothering to think of Link, who was waiting below for an opening, Chain rocketed through the air towards the being, who gleefully darted away. They twisted and turned through the mists, looking like a pair of dark dolphins as they held their weapons close to their bodies and chased after one another.

Link was looking on, not sure whether to be worried or amused, when Chain caught his eye and shot him a meaningful look. Wolf Link tensed, his hackles rising as Chain chased the lithe little Poe in his direction.

When the monster was right above him, he leapt, ripping into its chest and yanking out a black orb of plasma. Momentum kept the Poe's lifeless body flying for a few meters before it crashed to the ground, skidding to a halt through the pale grass. Chain did a silent air punch of happiness before running to a halt on solid ground and waving away her battleaxe.

The Twilight being peered at Wolf Link, looking questioningly at the orb he held in his mouth. He spat it out, nodding his head in its direction.

"It's a soul," the wolf growled, pawing at the black object. Chain wrinkled her brow when she realized she could understand the wolf-boy, but shrugged it off—thing were already weird, so this shouldn't have been all that different anyways.

The tall black Twilight warrior reached down and lifted the soul in her long, ashen fingers. She peered deep into it with her flaming red eyes, seeming to see not only a life, but something beyond.

It's a strange thing, looking at a soul. Beautiful and terrible, and it leaves one with the feeling that they've done something wrong. Chain would have frowned if she had a mouth in this forme, but instead settled for a narrowing of the eyes.

"Can we go back now?" Link looked up questioningly at the girl, flicking his ear in her direction. Chain held up a hand and looked over at the Poe's body. The lantern was still attached, flaming as brightly as ever.

The ethereal forme of Chain walked slowly over to the corpse, bending down and ripping the lantern out of the carcass. The separate links clanged together peacefully, not seeming to notice that they were separated from their Poe.

With a flick of her wrist and a sudden blue flash of her tattoo, Chain summoned the Twilight ash towards her until it coalesced into a long black rod that looked just like the steel of the Poe's lantern. The girl hung the light from it, watching as it dangled brightly from the end before sending it off into whatever plane her things disappeared to.

Without another moment's hesitation, she drew her shadows back in until the world was back to normal, and she was the only dark thing left. And even that, after a while, faded back into her original forme.

Link felt himself change back into a human, squinting into the sudden light. He pushed himself to his feet and ran a hand through his hair before gingerly placing his cap back on his head.

Chain gave him an uncertain look, not sure what he was feeling.

"Well," Link smiled, stretching his arms and absentmindedly scratching the back of his neck, "I haven't really done _that_ in a while. 'Least not on purpose."

Chain grinned, crossing her arms and blowing a stray piece of hair out of her face. "So you're fine?"

Link seemed to think for a moment before answering with a decisive nod.

"Yeah. I'm fine."


	17. Golden

Golden

Link sighed, stretching his muscles with a somewhat pained expression on his face.

" _Ugh._ I forgot how sore becoming a wolf made me—I've got a sinking feeling I'll be feeling this for a while."

"Is this gonna be a regular thing now?" Chain raised an eyebrow as she watched Link scramble onto Epona's back, lacking his usual grace.

"Just until I get used to changing," Link sighed, relaxing somewhat once he got himself settled. "You coming on? We've got a long way to go to get to the Arbiter's Grounds."

Chain seemed to think for a moment, tapping her long finger on her side absentmindedly.

"Actually… I kinda want to try something out…"

Link opened his mouth to ask what, but he didn't get to say anything before Chain's tattoo flashed a bright blue and the ashy blackness bled back over her. The blonde-haired hero jumped a bit, shocked at—how he was still a human, for one thing—but also how Chain had somehow managed to drag just enough Twilight into this realm for her to transform.

"What the heck are you doing that for?" Link asked, slightly unnerved by the utterly out-of place being that now stood in front of him.

 _Well,_ she spoke in that strange dialect of hers, the words seeming to come out of nowhere and everywhere all at once, _I don't really want to be perched on Epona's butt all the way to the desert—and I figured that if I could fly there, things would be a bit easier for everyone._

Chain took an experimental leap into the air, and looked very pleased indeed when she found herself floating a few feet above the ground.

 _Good. It works._

"Well," Link shrugged, staring at the ethereal forme that levitated beside him. "Whatever works."

Without another moment's hesitation, the teen urged Epona into a swift canter, which gradually turned to a steady gallop that sent the wind slapping against the rider's face. Chain flew alongside her companion, her hair trailing out behind her like the tail of a comet.

It wasn't long before they ran into a gang of Bulbins— though it never takes long for that to happen in Hyrule. Link wasn't all too worried about them, drawing his sword with the confidence of an expert and preparing himself to lop of the heads of the closest as he passed. Unfortunately for him, that never really happened.

Chain's blazing sunset eyes narrowed, and her axe immediately materialized in her hands. The Bulbins only managed to make a uniform face of terror at this strange new being before the axe's razor-sharp blade cut through their flesh like it was butter.

Sheathing his sword, Link shot his companion a quick thumbs-up before rocketing on towards Lake Hylia.

The day drug on with Link pushing Epona, trying to make up for lost time, and Chain swiftly dispatching of any foe that dared cross their path. The mists vanished, the sun made its way overhead, and the wide, deep gorge that housed the lake soon came into view.

Epona slowed to a halt, breathing heavily as she trudged to the edge of the pit. Link gave her a gentle pat on the neck before slipping off her back and loosening her saddle. Chain saw the young blonde dismount and followed suit in her own way, landing silently next to the teen before fading back into her usual forme.

"This is the Arbiter's Grounds?" She frowned. "I thought you said it was in the desert. You know, 'you'll know it when you see it', and all that."

"This is Lake Hylia," Link bent over the edge of the gorge to peer down at the fluid blue mass below him, watching as it sparkled faintly in the shadow of the bridge that crossed above it.

Chain didn't see how that cleared anything up.

"Then what are we doing here?" She let out an irritated puff of air, looking down on the lake as well. Link sighed, clearly not enjoying his responsibility to explain everything.

"This is the only way to get to Gerudo Desert. There's a guy here that can help."

Chain still wasn't satisfied—that much was obvious to Link as he risked a glance her way. She glared off into the distance, fists clenched in annoyance.

Link sighed again. "I guess you'll just have to wait and see."

"I guess so." The ginger nodded decisively before turning to face her companion. "On that note—how do we get down?"

Chain's eyes flickered Link's way and she frowned—she could've sworn she'd just seen him shoot her a mischievous grin. Funny, though, it had only lasted a fraction of a second. Must've been her imagination.

"Another thing you'll have to wait for and see," the young man turned towards Epona so the girl couldn't see his face. "For now, we'll travel towards the bridge—there are some people down there that'll give us a hand."

Chain shrugged, decidedly suspicious. "Okay."

It didn't take the two a very long time to reach the bridge. Chain peered down at the lake the whole time she walked, trying to stay a decent distance from the ledge at the same time. Watching the water reflect the sun's receding light was mesmerizing, soothing even. It helped her unwind from all the stress she'd been under ever since she'd left Ordon, and she didn't have to do anything but watch and walk.

Link led Epona alongside his companion, stroking the horse's tangled mane and giving her a nice break from carrying him. He glanced over at Chain, watching as she seemed to be completely zoned out the whole way to the bridge.

The sun was already getting low in the sky by the time they reached a little cabin that seemed to be pressing anxiously against the mountain. Link gave Epona a small pat on the neck and sent her cantering off before pushing his way through the door, Chain close behind.

Falbi, the tall, gangly clown who owned the place, poked his head over the edge of the cabin's loft when he heard the door open.

"Hey you two!" He grinned a wide grin that showed way too many teeth to be real. "Welcome to Falbi's Flight-By-Fowl! Anything I can do for you?"

Link immediately went back into his shell, but still somehow managed to take charge. He motioned outside, gesturing at the rapidly sinking sun. Falbi glanced out at the sky, seeming to understand.

"Oh, so you want a place to stay?" His cheerful façade began to fade and he suddenly looked very, very tired. "Sure thing—er, that'll be fifteen Rupees each."

Link nodded briskly, rummaging around in his sack for a bit before holding out a fistful of the angular gems. Falbi took the money without another word, hanging a forlorn-looking 'closed' sign on the cabin's door and beginning to wipe off his clown makeup in a nearby washbasin. Link gave him a strange look when he stood back up, which Falbi returned with a sad smile.

"Looks different doesn't it?" He sighed, throwing a plain canvas poncho on over his ridiculous costume. "Yeah. I get that a lot. I wouldn't mind it as much if being a clown paid a bit more but…" he trailed off, shrugging tiredly. "Yeah."

Without his costume, the tall, gangly man looked a lot different. Tanned skin, ginger hair and a beard, and his face looked a lot thinner without it's customary goofy smile. There were even a few tattoos Link hadn't seen before that had been hidden under his face paint.

Link could get away with staying silent—he was known throughout Hyrule for being quiet, and Falbi probably thought he was mute anyways. But Chain, on the other hand…

"I'm gonna go get some air," she muttered, pushing her way awkwardly out the door, lingering just long enough to throw a last-minute "G'bye" over her shoulder at Link.

The air was still warm outside from the sudden humidity, but it didn't feel as bad as the flaming ginger had expected. Fireflies floated lazily through the long grass, and the leaves whispered softly to each other in the light breeze.

Something gold caught Chain's eye, glimmering up on the nearest stone pillar of the ancient-looking bridge that spanned across the chasm.

Chain narrowed her sunset-coloured eyes, taking a few bounding steps in the direction of the bridge before leaping up the stone wall like a cat, pushing off several footholds in rapid succession. She found herself on the very edge of the bridge's side, swaying slightly as the wind sent scarlet tendrils of her hair playing around her face and down her back.

Chain took a deep breath, closing her eyes and feeling, just for a moment, like she was back—

The foreigner started violently, jerking out of her little daydream with a sharp breath. There—the memory had been so close, it had reached out its hand to touch her face, but disappeared before it could leave so much as a warm feeling.

Chain steadied herself against the pillar, letting out a small _huff_.

"Jerk," she muttered under her breath, to nothing and yet everything, averting her gaze from the fading watercolour sky to the little spark of gold that had once again captured her attention.

Stepping a bit closer towards the speck, Chain recognized it as quite possibly the last thing she would have expected it to be.

It was a bug.

Chain didn't really know all that much about bugs, especially Hylian bugs. This particular creature was pure gold, with delicately laced wings that seemed to glitter in the starlight, and a golden light all its own that seemed to come from within its body as it seeped through the cracks in its metallic exoskeleton. Chain definitely knew even less about bugs than the next guy did, but even she could tell this wasn't a normal occurrence.

But, not knowing about bugs, she also didn't how to appreciate them like a proper aficionado would. Thus, she sat down with an accepting little "huh", content to listen to the strange little twinkling sounds it made as it crept its way along the cobblestone pillar next to her.

Link made his way outside a few minutes later to see Chain sitting cross-legged on the edge of the bridge, staring out into space. With small grunt, he heaved himself up next to her and stared up at the stars.

The stars in Hyrule were beautiful, especially during the summer. On cloudless nights like this one, you could look up from anywhere and see millions at a time, all flickering in intricate swirls and patterns. Red, blue, purple, white—they sat like still waters, undisturbed except for the occasional comet that ripped them apart for a split second before winking out of existence. A soft, milky ribbon of light wound its peaceful way in the background, a little pathway to heaven.

Link sighed. He'd hardly ever taken the time to just sit and stare like this, not since the events of last year had come to a close. But he remembered the many times he'd sat with Midna, just sitting and staring. She'd always been so fascinated by the stars, going on in her strange, lilting language about how different they looked in the Twilight Realm.

"It's a dangerous place, I take it?" Chain broke the silence, snapping Link out of his thoughts. "The Arbiters' Grounds, I mean."

Link shot her a sidelong glance, but the ginger was still staring out into the sky.

"Yeah," he nodded. Leaning back a bit on his arms. "Pretty dangerous."

The two were silent for a few more minutes, each thinking the same thing, but both reluctant to speak it.

"Do…" Chain propped her face up with her hands, keeping her gaze fixed on the stars. "Do you think we'll come back?"

Link let out a long breath of air, narrowing his eyes at the moon.

"I don't know," he shrugged, the rough stone of the bridge biting into his hands. "Maybe? There's no real way to tell."

Chain looked at the teen as he spoke, her face an expressionless mask as she listened.

"I've been there several times with Midna, but each time, it seems a bit different. There are no certainties when it comes to this place. I don't even know if everything I killed there is really dead. I mean, it's an ancient prison full of ghosts—I seriously doubt I did any lasting damage."

He let out a small laugh that died quickly, letting the conversation fade back into an uncomfortable silence.

Something sparkled in Link's peripheral vision, distracting him from the morbid thoughts that were tied to Gerudo Desert.

"What's that?" He pushed himself into a crouch, leaning back to peer behind Chain. His eyes widened in delight, all current worries forgotten as he scrambled behind his companion, cupping his hands around a small golden bug.

"Whoa!" He breathed, poking at the exoskeleton in awe. "A golden bug!"

"Yeah. Found it here earlier," Chain peeked over the blonde's shoulder. "Are they rare?"

"Kind of," Link held it close to his face, the golden glow lighting him up from below. "There's this little girl in Castle Town that collects 'em. Maybe we can give her this one when we go back!" He eagerly ushered the agreeable bug into an empty glass jar before stuffing it safely into his pack.

"C'mon," Link grinned, spirits sufficiently elevated as he leapt down from the ledge, landing with a bend of the knees to absorb some of the impact. "We should head back to the cabin before Falbi locks us out."

Chain nodded, following a few feet behind Link as they mad their way back to the building.

It was midnight.

The cabin was completely silent, save for the creaking of the old wooden planks as the wind pushed against them, and the faint sounds of crickets threading their music in from outside.

Chain was trying to sleep, she really was. There were few things she wanted more than sleep, at least at that moment. But, no matter hard she tried, there was always a heavy feeling weighing down on her chest that kept her awake, a feeling of apprehension and dread. She had no idea what to expect of the Arbiters' Grounds—but from what Link had said, the list of things to anticipate had been significantly narrowed down to… well, nothing good.

But more than that, there was something else on her mind, something much more powerful than nerves. And yet, it was just one word.

When.

 _When_ we go back, he'd said. Link had seemed so sure, so convinced that they'd both be okay, that everything was going to be all right. Chain took a deep breath, letting it out in a long, soft sigh. Yes, that was much better. Anyway, Link knew way more about this place than she did, and if he was so confident…

Chain peered up through a high window, staring at the stars. A faint jingling sound fell towards her as a ghostly black lantern floated slowly through her line of sight, and the ginger huddled deeper in her blanket, glad she was inside for once.

The Poe went on its merry way, the light blue glow receding and the soft clinging of the chains disappearing altogether. And with Chain's oppressive thoughts gone, sleep was free to come.

The morning wasn't welcome. Link woke to a sudden crash, jerking into consciousness to find himself all tangled up in his sleeping bag.

"Hey!" Falbi's voice was what woke Chain up, almost sending her into her Twilight forme from shock.

"You feathery little— _what the hell?!"_ The clown's voice was coming from the loft, and a flurry of white and russet feathers floated from his direction, quickly followed by a chorus of startled screeches. One particularly rebellious Cuckoo took a running leap off the ledge, maneuvering it's fat little body to land directly on Link's face with an evil gleam in it's eye.

"AUGH!" The hero yelped, punching the smug little demon-bird into the wall.

"Sorry 'bout that!" Falbi stuck his head over the edge of the loft, giving a small, apologetic grin before flashing the innocent-looking bird a look of fury. "They're always a handful."

Chain frowned at the Cuckoo, stretching widely before calmly striding over, grasping the bird by the neck, and hurling it back up to the second floor. Falbi caught it by the feet, nodding approvingly.

"Thanks," he smirked before disappearing once more, bird in hand.

Link saw the glint in Chain's eye, recognizing it immediately.

"You go on ahead," he nodded, a hint of warning in his voice. "I'll finish packing up the blankets."

With a sharp grin, Chain darted up the ladder, throwing herself over the top of the ledge and rolling right into a ginger Cuckoo.

The bird squawked in outrage, rearing back a bit before charging straight a Chain face.

"No—wait!" Falbi pushed himself across the floor, where he was being tackled by a horde of fowl, and managed to trip the bird up just long enough for Chain to scramble out of the way. Link peered cautiously over the edge of the loft, keeping an eye out for any vengeful Cuckoos, before shoving himself up and helping Chain kick some of the birds off Falbi, who was still completely without makeup and clad in his ragged poncho and trousers.

The birds were shockingly light, and tumbled several feet through the air before slamming up against the nearest wall or falling off the edge of the loft. Falbi leapt up as soon as most of the Cuckoos were taken care of, shaking the rest off with an experienced twist.

The fowl regrouped with their malicious war cries, flapping their wings and shooting themselves up at the defenders' faces. Falbi, Chain, and Link stood back to back, kicking and punching birds left and right.

" _Go!"_ Falbi shouted over the cacophony once he'd managed to grab two birds by the neck, shoving them to his two clients. "Fly down to Fyer's place! _"_

"What— _what_?!" Chain demanded, taking the bird and using it as a weapon against its own brethren. " _Fly_ a _bird_?!"

"Yeah!" The cabin's owner stared at her as if it were the most obvious thing n the world. "You tellin' me you've never flown a Cuckoo before?!"

" _Hey!_ " Link huffed, just that simple word causing Falbi to freeze in shock, which quickly resulted in him getting tackled by a fresh wave of birds.

"What th—you can _talk?!"_ He sputtered, punting a Cuckoo off the edge of the loft. Link ignored him, slinging a bird over his shoulder.

"Trust me on this one," he nodded, gripping his bird by the feet. Chain was unconvinced, shooting a skeptical glance at her companion.

"You guys are insane!" The tattooed ginger yelled, her features twisting into a glare. Without another moment's hesitation, she grabbed her bird's feet, sprinted to a small wooden platform that opened outside, and leapt off.

She peered up as the world seemed to flash by her, the startled Cuckoo not doing anything to slow her descent. Above her, Chain saw Link jump out of the cabin, falling like a lead weight. The wind rushed past the foreigner's pointed ears, sweeping her hair up like a streamer and making it impossible to hear whether or not jumping to her death had worked for the cabin's owner.

Suddenly, without warning, Chain's Cuckoo spread its wings, as if just remembering what they were for, and her vertical plummet snapped into a leisurely glide. The scream in her throat that she hadn't even noticed was there faded off, and everything was fine. One could even call it peaceful, if they were the kind of person that thought dangling hundreds of feet up in the air by a bird's legs was peaceful. Believe it or not, there are people like that.

Chain looked up again, seeing Falbi stick his head over the ledge and wave goodbye at her. She grinned, swinging her legs in the closest she could come to a wave back. Link fell in beside her, his hat blowing behind him in the wind.

"That wasn't so bad now, was it?" He grinned mischievously, pulling on one of the bird's legs to gently ram into his companion.

Chain didn't answer, too breathless to say any kinds of real words.

"Thought so." Link looked a bit smug, maneuvering his Cuckoo to swerve around his friend in wide circles. Chain saw how he steered and decided to try for herself—by ramming as roughly into Link as she could.

"Wha—hey!" He dropped a bit to one side, trying to kick at Chain. "The heck?!"

The redhead laughed, loud and long, shooting away as fast as she could go. Her laugh dissolved into clear whoops of joy as the wind blew her hair around her face in little slipstreams and she fell rapidly down towards the water.

Link rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless when he steered his way after her, watching as she let go of the bird at the least second and dropped into the water.

Chain felt the cold, fresh pond water pierce into her as she slid down under, resurfacing with soaked hair and skin that was tinged pink from the cold.

"I take it you had fun?" Link landed in the water next to her, smiling wryly. Chain could only nod, the only one of the duo who was speechless for once. "Good."

The two swam towards the shore, pulling themselves up on the fresh emerald grass. Chain closed her eyes, feeling the biting contrast of the sun's warmth and the water's iciness battle each other on her freezing skin and sopping wet hair. This was a nice break from all the chaos that had been messing up her life—and Link's too, no doubt. Chain tried to enjoy the peace while it lasted; the knowledge that this was just the calm before the storm still lay heavy on her.

Link rolled onto his back, squinting his eyes against the sun. Sure, it was nice now, but that would hardly last. The sun would be yet another enemy in Gerudo Desert, the exact opposite of what it was here. And in the Arbiters grounds, no matter the time of day, there wouldn't be a sun at all.

A cold shiver laced its way up Link's spine, and he shuddered violently. Suddenly, he didn't really want to stay here anymore.

"Let's go," he pushed himself to his feet.

"Aww…" Chain groaned, curling up into a little ball on the warm grass and stifling a yawn. "But _why?_ "

Link stretched, letting out a yawn of his own. "Because the sooner we get this over with, the better."

Chain huffed, taking her own sweet time in getting up.

" _Fine,"_ she growled, rotating her neck until she heard a few satisfying cracks _._ "I guess you're right."

"All right then," Link scratched absentmindedly at his neck. "Follow me."

Chain was led to a series of tiny islands strung together by long rope bridges that swayed gently as she walked along them. The islands stopped near the middle of the lake before leading out to some sort of house that floated on the water.

"Uhh… Link?" The ginger frowned, not sure how this would help them get to the desert at all. "What are you doing?"

"You'll see," the hero couldn't help but grin, which Chain found more than a little disconcerting—especially since he'd done much of the same thing right before they'd flown on the Cuckoos.

" _Link_?" Chain narrowed her eyes, but the blonde was once again silent as a short, pudgy old man stepped out from behind the house, hands in his pockets as he whistled softly to himself.

"Oh—Link, right? You want to take a ride?" his voice was low and monotone, and he looked just like he sounded. Short and pudgy with drooping eyes and light blue clown makeup, he looked bored out of his skull. But he still gave a little smile, for appearance's sake.

Link nodded, gesturing towards the bottom end of a sign nailed to the side of the structure.

"Oh… an Oasis Flight?" The clown shrugged, holding out his hand in a way he was obviously used to doing. "Ten Rupees."

Link forked over the money, and Fyer tossed open a large round hatch that led to a small, dark interior.

"What's this?" Chain demanded, eyeing the cramped quarters warily.

"Just follow me," Link whispered, looking over his shoulder and motioning for her to follow. Chain let out an exasperated huff, but trailed behind him anyways.

"Fine," she growled, stepping into the darkness after her companion.

"I hope you two are ready," Fyer's dreary voice floated towards the duo as he reached up to grab the top of the hatch.

"Wait, what are you—" Chain jumped at the sound of the hatch slamming shut, her eyes widening and her breaths coming out in short gasps.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" She shouted, darting over to the door and pounding on it furiously. "IS THIS SOME KIND OF—"

"Shh," Link's voice carried over to her in the dark, and she turned towards him angrily.

"Don't you—" She was about to go off on him, but stopped short at the sound of a faint, upbeat tune playing from outside.

"Wh…what's that?" She whispered in confusion. Though it was pitch black, Chain could tell that Link was grinning.

"Brace yourself."

"Wha—"

A huge blast burst all other sound out of Chain's eardrums, and suddenly the overwhelming darkness was replaced by bright, intense light. An explosion of force and heat hurled them both out of the machine, sending them flying through the sky at a speed so high that the wind racing its way past Chain's ears sounded more like a scream.

And scream she did. Chain yelled until her throat hurt, but the wind ripped all sound away. The ginger looked over to her side to see Link, to see him _laughing_. He _knew_ this was going to happen.

Despite her fury, Chain was shocked to start laughing herself. As the green and blue underneath them faded away to a fiery orange-gold, she watched it whir by in a blur of colour, beaming at the wonderful feeling of weightlessness and utter freedom.

This wasn't like flying in her Twilight Forme. Then, it was her own willpower keeping her afloat. Here in the sky, she didn't have to anything but feel the adrenaline and feel _alive_.

Chain spread out her arms, laughing wildly as she pierced through the air like an arrow, twisting and whirling around like a snake.

Soon she began to feel herself lose momentum, and her heart skipped a beat when she realized that she was a lot closer to the ground than she'd been a few minutes ago.

Chain shot a nervous glance at Link, but he didn't seem too worried. With more effort than she'd care to admit, the redhead forced herself to stay calm as she hurtled towards the sand below.

She hit the ground with a roll, tumbling through the sand and skidding to a halt at the base of a huge dune. Everything seemed unnaturally quiet after the overwhelming intensity of the sounds of flight.

A few seconds that felt way too long passed as the girl lay on her back, eyes wide in shock despite the sun. Link tumbled down to her side, still laughing.

"So did you like that?" He beamed, turning his head to look at her. She looked shell-shocked, to be blunt, not seeming to see anything as she stared at the sky. But all rage forgotten, her mouth turned upward in a slow grin and she began to nod vigorously.

"That was _amazing_ ," Chain breathed, still trying to catch her breath. Link laughed again as they lay on the hot sand, not wanting to disturb this feeling of soft satisfaction. Chain sighed, closing her eyes and feeling the sun slowly begin its descent. There was silence for a moment where all she did was appreciate Link's presence and few wisps of wind that could reach her from behind the dune.

" _Whoa_!" Link leapt up, startling Chain out of her peace. "Look at that!"

"Look at what?" Chain pushed herself to her feet, staring in the direction he was pointing. "The dead tree?"

"No—flying _around_ it!" Link looked like a little kid who'd just been given a silver Rupee. Chain squinted, not sure what she was looking for. The blonde dashed towards the tree, grasping at the air a few times before darting back towards her excitedly.

"A golden dayfly!" He grinned, showing his catch to his friend. It was a small golden bug with long tendrils that waved in the breeze and bright, sparkling wings the vibrated softly at its two captors.

" _Wow_ ," Chain whistled, bending down to get a closer look. "Nice."

"It's a good sign!" Link beamed, looking happily up at the sky. "Thing are gonna go well!"

Chain took a step back, her good mood fading. That uneasy feeling in her gut still hadn't left, and she felt more than a little nervous at being so close to the infamous Arbiter's Grounds.

She opened her mouth to say so, but froze when she saw Link's joyful expression, seeing him watch the dayfly float away, one of his rare sunshine smiles piercing face. Chain didn't want to spread her pessimism to him—not when he was so happy.

"Yeah," she forced a smile. "Must be."

But in her mind, she wasn't so sure.


	18. Horde

Horde

The sun was a fierce enemy against the two as they trudged through the sand. It snarled down on them, hurling down bright burning spears upon the travellers, throwing insults with its intensity and taunting them with its heat. Chain hadn't ever really liked the daytime, but now it was just terrible—even Link, little sunshine child that he was, felt utterly betrayed.

If they had come from anywhere besides Lake Hylia, they would've been done for. Lucky for them, coming directly from the biggest source of water in Hyrule kept the dehydration at bay—for a while, at least.

Every few minutes, Link and Chain could feel rumbling beneath their feet, as if something was burrowing under them, which was promptly followed by a grimy sand-worm the size of Chain's arm that leapt out at the two. The first time it had happened, complete and utter chaos had ensued, Chain freaking out way more than she'd like to admit. Link's sword had leapt out of its sheath in a flash, carving the slug like a turkey soaring gracefully through the air. Chain had been stunned at first, but after several hours of walking and countless similar encounters, she got used to it.

Finally, after trudging through the desert at a snail's pace, they found themselves peering over the edge of what could've once been a lake, but was now just a shallow pit filled with sand and dotted with wooden watchtowers that had been bleached white by the sun.

"Here we are," Link spoke for the first time since they'd set out, his voice rough from lack of use and his throat dry from lack of water.

" _This_ is the Arbiter's Grounds?" Chain raised an eyebrow, staring at the few wild Bulbos that were roaming around the pit. "It's kinda… underwhelming."

Link shook his head, gazing around the area as shadows showed themselves and the sky began to turn to gold.

"Look," He pointed towards the far edge of the pit. Chain felt her eyes burn as she tilted her head upwards, squinting against the sun that battled for her attention. Jutting out from the ground like a cluster of thorns backed up against a range of jagged, dusty mountains was a huge fortress. The details were indiscernible from this distance, but the menacing aura was clear as day.

" _That's_ the Arbiter's Grounds." Link spoke with finality, his expression grim.

"Oh."

They stood silently for a while, lingering on the edge of the pit and staring at the foreboding figure ahead of them. Despite the heat, goosebumps rose on Chain's skin, and a quick little shiver thrashed up her spine. "…Oh."

With a brisk sigh, Link was the first to move, adjusting his sword as it rested across his back before hopping down into the pit. He looked up expectantly at his companion, shading his eyes with his free hand.

"You coming?"

Chain glanced back up at the dungeon ahead, setting her face into a determined scowl.

With a little leap, she fell down after the hero, her long hair streaming behind her. The sand down there was nothing but a thin layer that blanketed cracked dirt and dead shrubs, so her landing wasn't as soft as it had appeared to be. Little shockwaves of pain ran up her legs, and she grabbed on tightly to it, feeling it, setting herself in it and using it to root herself in the present, to narrow her focus and to obliterate all doubt.

"Hell yeah."

Link kept his bow strung as they trekked towards the dungeon, keeping an eye out for any Bulbins that might be hanging around. It didn't look like they'd come back since the last time he'd been to the desert, but he knew that the last thing he needed to do was to let himself be caught by surprise.

Things seemed almost peaceful as the sun sank behind them, with a few bugs buzzing along, and maybe a bird or two calling back and forth as they disappeared to their nests for the night. Link never took his eyes off the Grounds as he neared them, not trusting them a bit.

The towering spires were stained with red and gold in the last fleeting moments of the day, and the temperature seemed to plummet as darkness enveloped the landscape. A sharp, convulsing shiver ran down Link's spine when they stopped at the main entrance. Everything was silent, making the whole place seem like graveyard.

"Well?" Chain turned to him, the sun turning her amber eyes gold. "You're the hero. What do we do now?"

Link frowned. "Well… we definitely don't want to stay out here for the night—and personally, I'd like to get things over as soon as possible."

Chain nodded, allowing herself a small smile. "Understandable. So we just… hop right in?"

Link snorted. "I'd hardly call it a ' _hop'_ , but… yeah, that's pretty much it."

"Well all right then," the ginger took a deep breath, letting it reluctantly out before taking the first step into the dungeon. "All right."

The first thing Chain noticed was the darkness. It had only just begun to get dark outside, yet in here it was pitch black. The air was thick and stifling, and it smelled of dust. Link stepped in close behind her, glancing around cautiously. They walked side-by-side, making their way as quietly as they could down what seemed to be a long corridor. Neither of them dared to speak at first, each tense as a bowstring, with Link fingering the hilt of his sword and Chain prepared to summon her axe.

Eventually, as Link felt like they were nearing the middle of the hall, he heard something. It was faint at first, almost too faint to hear, but as he strained to pick it out, it grew louder, and he wondered how he could have missed it. He got Chain's attention, tapping her ear in an unmistakable signal. She paused, and Link could feel her grow stiff in the darkness. She squeezed his arm, letting him know that she heard it too.

It was light and chiming, a sound that would've been almost pretty anywhere else. Yet, at the same time, it was stifling, coming in from all sides. Whatever was making this sound had them surrounded—and Link had a pretty good idea of what it was.

There was a whisper of movement to his side as Chain lifted her hands, summoning the Poe lantern she'd picked up in a flash of blue. Her face was lit up with it's ghostly light, as well as the thousands of Poes that surrounded them. Link jumped as he saw their individual lanterns flare to life, instinctively leaping closer to Chain's light. The Poes had been closing in around the two as they'd walked, and the ghosts were only about a foot away now.

Chain went pale, clutching the lantern's staff with a white-knuckled grip. Link pulled out his sword, waving it in the general direction of the demons he couldn't see. They stood there, unmoving, waiting for the Poes to make the first move. But nothing happened.

Chain glanced over at Link, who was staring, wide-eyed, at the thousands of lanterns that surrounded them. He looked terrified—and he had every right to be. He was essentially blind here. Powerless.

"They're not attacking," Chain whispered to him, trying to ease his fears. A few of the creatures cocked their heads to one side at the sound of her voice. "They're just… floating there."

As she stared, she saw that the Poes were fidgeting around with their scythes, and though she knew it was impossible, they even looked a bit nervous as they shot furtive glances at her lantern. Narrowing her eyes, she waved the lantern in front of her, watching as the ghosts parted in front of it, keeping a wary eye on the light of their fallen.

Link saw what happened, wrinkling his brow.

"Are they… scared of it?" He breathed, lifting his sword a bit higher. Chain took a small step forward, and let out a small breath when the Poes made way.

"Yeah… something like that…"

By unspoken consent, they began to make their way forward once more, creeping to the end of the hall and trying to ignore the Poes as their heads slowly turned to stare them down.

Chain had to force herself not to run to the huge door at the far end, had to force herself not to drag Link through it, to slam it behind them. It seemed as if it took an eternity, but they made it to the other side. They found themselves in a small, sand-filled room that glowed orange with torches, the russet light battling with blue of the ghost's flame.

Chain sent her lantern away, letting the warmer glow of the torches cover her. She leaned against the door, sliding to the ground with a deep sigh.

Link sheathed his sword, trying to remember where in the Grounds they'd ended up. He busied himself with searching the room for anything they might need later, telling himself it wasn't just to get his hands to stop shaking.

" _That_ was an adventure." Chain allowed herself a small, relieved laugh. "And we hadn't even been through the first room yet."

Link smiled grimly, lifting an old clay pot above his head and smashing it against a wall.

"Wh— _hey!"_ Chain leapt to her feet at the loud _crash_ that was magnified in the small room. She half expected something to rise out of the sand and attack, but nothing happened. Link picked up a green Rupee that had fallen out of the pot and continued to the next one. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Finding us some resources," he looked up at her like it were obvious. "It's also a coping mechanism. Help with stress. Care to join?"

Chain stared at the shards of pottery lying on the ground for a moment, then shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"


End file.
